Fundamentals of turfgrass management

426 Pages·2011·159.122 MB·English

by  Christians, Nick Edward

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F
UNDAMENTALS OF
T M
URFGRASS ANAGEMENT
F E
OURTH DITION
N C
ICK HRISTIANS
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Christians, Nick Edward, 1949-
Fundamentals of turfgrass management / Nick Christians.—4th ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-470-58731-7 (cloth); ISBN 978-1-118-02425-6 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-02426-3 (ebk);
ISBN: 978-1-118-02541-3 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-02542-0 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-02543-7 (ebk)
1. Turf management. I. Title.
SB433.C55 2011
635.9(cid:2)642—dc22
2010045228
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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I would like to dedicate this book to my wife, Marla, who helped with
editing and proofreading of the text during its preparation, and to my
sons, Lance and Tim. It is also dedicated to the many academic advis-
ers, teachers, friends, and coworkers who taught me the things that I
know about the turfgrass industry.
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C
ONTENTS
Preface vii
Acknowledgments ix
Chapter 1 Careers in the Turfgrass Industry 1
Chapter 2 Introduction to the Grasses 9
Chapter 3 Cool-Season Grasses 31
Chapter 4 Warm-Season Grasses 59
Chapter 5 Ornamental Grasses 75
Chapter 6 Establishment 85
Chapter 7 Soil Testing and Soil Amendment 117
Chapter 8 Fertilization 139
Chapter 9 Mowing, Plant Growth Regulators, and Shade 179
Chapter 10 Irrigation 195
Chapter 11 Thatch, Cultivation, and Topdressing 215
Chapter 12 Weed Control 233
Chapter 13 Turf Insects 273
Chapter 14 Turfgrass Diseases 293
Chapter 15 Sports Field Management 315
Chapter 16 Sod Production 333
Chapter 17 Professional Lawn Care 347
Chapter 18 Golf Course Maintenance 361
About the Author 389
Index 391
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P
REFACE
When I graduated from the Colorado State University School of Forestry in 1972,
I quickly found that employment opportunities were very limited in my chosen fi eld.
Fortunately, I had taken courses in agronomy and horticulture, including turfgrass
management. I had also worked part-time in the sod industry for two years and had
developed an interest in the turfgrass profession. The turf industry was booming in
the early 1970s, as it is today, and I found a job as an assistant golf course superin-
tendent under certifi ed superintendent Tom Rogers, at Flatirons Country Club in
Boulder, Colorado.
I quickly found that the real world of broken irrigation heads, tight budgets, and
constantly changing greens committees was much different from the academic world
of quick, easy answers. I also found how little four years of college had taught me
that I would need to know. The next year, I became the superintendent of Pueblo
West Golf Course in Pueblo, Colorado. This further opened my eyes to the reality of
personnel management and the political realities of the business world.
Later, I had the chance to go to graduate school and then to establish a teaching
and research program at Iowa State University. I decided that my teaching would
refl ect the realities that I had experienced in the industry and that my students would
get as much real-world exposure as they could through my teaching, through intern-
ships, and from other practical experience.
This is the same philosophy that I have tried to infuse into this text. While I know
that no academic course or textbook will ever take the place of hands-on experience,
there are perspectives that practical experience—and only practical experience—can
bring to a book. When I began my career on the golf course, I found many things that
I wished I had been taught, and that I later had to learn on my own. Where possible, I
have tried to incorporate those things into my teaching and writing.
One of the most important of these was mathematics. Calculation of application
rates of fertilizers and pesticides, irrigation calculations, topdressing problems, and
other mathematically related subjects are an important part of every turfgrass man-
ager’s job. While some mathematical subjects are covered in this book, those who
would like a more in-depth coverage of the subject are directed to The Mathematics of
Turfgrass Maintenance, 4th ed., by N. E. Christians and M. L. Agnew.
vii
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viii PREFACE
The primary objective of this book is to introduce the principles of turfgrass
management. It begins at a level suitable for those just entering the fi eld, but also
contains suffi cient content to be of use to experienced turfgrass managers. The goal is
to present basic subjects in a straightforward way that readers can easily understand.
There will also be an emphasis on explaining why certain management practices are
handled as they are. Hopefully, the text will help readers expand their understanding
of basic concepts so that they can adapt what they have learned to the varied situa-
tions that present themselves on the job.
This fourth edition has been updated throughout to refl ect the latest information
and trends in the turfgrass industry. These changes include the following:
• Updated information on genus and species names of grasses
• A new chapter on ornamental grasses
• An expanded section on micronutrients in the fertility chapter
• A new section on seed production and the purchasing of seed
• New information on herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides
• An expanded section on weed species
• Updated information on sports turf and sports field construction
• Updated information on golf course construction and management
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