In this issue:

1. Editors Notes.
   

2. The worm equation.
   
3. Insurance for your turf.
   
4. Looking Back.
   
5. One for the funny bone.
   
6. Artificial turf on lawns (again)
   
7. John Mascaro's Photo Quiz in GCM
   
8. Sports Turf News.
   
9. Golf Course News.
   
10. Turf-Tec Website News & Turf-Tec in the news.
    
11. Contributions to this publication.
    
12. Privacy policies.

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In the August issue I reprinted an article about worms from my father’s newsletter, The “West Pointers” from June 1946.

An alert Turf-Tec Digest reader worked out the question my father asked some 57 years ago. Here is the question posed along with the answer, thanks Ed!

Q: It has been shown that 53,000 worms in an acre can cover the surface with three inches of soil in fifteen years. We do not feel inclined to calculate the exact number of worm-hours which would be required to top-dress a green, but have presented the figures in case some ambitious person would like to
work it out.

A. By Ed Bylica, Sports Turf Manager, Ft. Lauderdale Stadium:
(15 years)(24 hrs)(365 days)(53000 worms)= 6,964,200,000 worm hours----but if the worms were city workers???? Also some interesting factors to consider.

1--- only 25% would work
2--- 870,525,000 days which include 1 hour lunch break 2- 15 min breaks
3--- then there is union business on company time
4--- injury /sick/personal leave/comp. time/vacation/jury duty/ light duty
5--- city daily bureaucracy 2 hrs / day
6--- possibility of a worm work slow down (can't strike) -- worms slowing down, now that's good humor------
now figure that out????

To see the original article click here http://www.turf-tec.com/aug03.htm#4

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I am often asked the question, where can I buy insurance for my turf in case it all dies one day? Well Turf-Tec International is proud to announce a new insurance policy for all turfgrass areas. In today’s world of high cost sod, high labor rate, unsteady job markets and the economy, wouldn’t it be prudent to have turfgrass insurance? Well for one low price of $1020.00 a one time fee (that’s less then $34.00 a year based upon a 30 year turfgrass lifespan) for full turfgrass insurance coverage. This rate is constant no matter whether you are at a multi-million dollar resort or a municipal club. It is the same rate if you are at a
major profile sports facility or a single school athletic field.

Well I must come clean, we are not really selling turfgrass insurance, per say, however if the idea sparks your curiosity, the one time cost of $1020.00 is how really much it will cost you to buy real turfgrass insurance. This insurance policy is actually four diagnostic tools to insure your turf will not die; they are the Mascaro Profile Sampler, Infiltrometer, Penetrometer and Moisture Sensor.

I know the insurance thing sound pretty easy, but why pay somebody for something that you know will never happen? If you use these four diagnostic tools, you will know the exact health of your turf. I will break their main uses down for you.

Mascaro Profile Sampler will give you a visual representation of your soil. What it looks like, how it is structured and if any layers are present. In addition the soil profile should be taken apart from the bottom upward to see how deep the roots are and if they are white and crisp and actively growing or are they
brown and still alive or black and dead.

The Infiltrometer will tell how long it takes water to go into the soil. This is a direct correlation to how much air space is in the soil. If water cannot get into the soil, air cannot get in or out and grass roots need air exchange to breathe. All forms of anaerobic decomposition occur when Infiltration rates are low and having a handle on your infiltration rate is the key to healthy soil and roots.

The Penetrometer will help correlate the infiltration rate to the soil compaction. If the infiltration rate is low and the soil compaction is high, then compaction is most likely the problem. Re-examine the soil profile for pore space issues. If soil infiltration rate is low and compaction is also low, then layers are probably the culprit. Re-examine the soil profile for layers of unlike materials. If layers are visually detected, see if the roots are moving through the layer. If they are, the layer may be a future problem. If roots are not passing through the layer, then it is an immediate problem.

The final tool in your insurance policy is the Moisture Sensor. First it gives you a benchmark reading at one inch increments as to the percentage of soil air space that is occupied by water. This should be recorded along with the infiltration rate and penetrometers reading so the next time you take an infiltration
test, the moisture should be in the exact same range. If moisture percentage vary from each Penetrometer and Infiltration reading, the results will be different and non comparable over time. In addition to giving a benchmark, the Moisture Sensor can be compared to the soil profile to show how much water is occupying the air space in the profile. By putting an extracted soil profile on the turf, and slowly inserting the Moisture Sensor, you can visually see the different amounts of water and how they are related to the soil horizons. This will give you an immediate insight as to your watering habits and your aerification program.

I would never step foot on a turfgrass area without these four instruments if I had any plans of assessing the turfgrass quality. In fact the best insurance policy is knowing for certain that something bad will not happen. That is why Turf-Tec’s diagnostic tools are a necessity for maintaining quality turfgrass areas. If you are seeking turfgrass insurance, look no farther, the answer is right under your feet.

Product Tie in:

Mascaro Profile Sampler - Visual inspection of soil pore space, layers and roots. Also useful in comparing to Moisture Sensor readings.
Infiltrometer – Tells soil infiltration rate and when to aerify.
Penetrometer - Tells how much compaction or air space is in the profile.
Moisture Sensor - Ties in the Moisture level for comparisons over time of compaction and infiltration. Also shows how much pore space is occupied by water.

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Here are the US statistics for 1903....
The average life expectancy in the US was forty-seven (47).
Only 14 Percent of the homes in the US had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.
There were only 8,000 cars in the US and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California. With a
mere 1.4 million residents, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.
The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian
between $1,500 and $4,000.
More than 95 percent of all births in the US took place at home.
Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee cost fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the country for any reason.
The five leading causes of death in the US were:

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Well in case you thought we were over the trend of trying artificial turf on lawns, here we go again. It seems that the city of Anaheim, California, has just discovered artificial turf. Since they are water conscious in Southern California, the idea of an artificial lawn is being tested to conserve water. Here are some excerpts from a publicity release from January 29th, 2004.

To view the whole article, click on this link: http://www.astrolawn.com/img/anahiem.pdf

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“ANAHEIM FAMILY TESTS SYNTHETIC LAWN AS PART OF WATER CONSERVATION TEST PROJECT”

ANAHEIM, CA (Jan. 29, 2004) Mr. and Mrs. Lindsey Climber of Anaheim are participating in a unique water conservation test program in which select Anaheim residents may voluntarily replace their traditional lawns with AstroLawn®, a synthetic substitute that looks and feels like natural grass.

“We are pleased to see AstroLawn accepted as a viable tool for significantly reducing water costs,” said Kathy Kennedy, general manager for the company’s California/Nevada region. “The results of the test will prove that the old myth about faux grass looking like plastic no longer exists, and your lawn can look just
as beautiful as a real lawn while conserving water, and eliminating the need for toxic chemicals and fertilizers.”

The Climbers’ new lawn was recently installed at their 437 N. Colorado St. residence. They removed about 2,000 square feet of traditional sod and replaced it with AstroLawn. The effectiveness of the test site will be evaluated by a water consultant, who will analyze the water savings by comparing the home’s water
use prior to and after the installation.

“Since approximately 60 percent of a resident’s water is used outdoors, conserving landscape water becomes very important,” Templeton said. “In some cases, the use of landscape water is avoidable, especially with products such as AstroLawn.”
------
Well I cannot comment on the amount of water savings; however I would guess that the artificial turf will require significantly less water as it is not alive. However, if the issue is water conservation, why not just spend some money education homeowners when to water and for how much time. Tools like the Moistures Sensor and Infiltrometer can set water conservation standards for many turfgrass areas. I also hope that the study factors in water recharge to the aquifer that occurs when you water your turf or a rainfall event occurs. I also hope that the environmental cooling affects that turfgrass has on a neighborhood is also studied. I guarantee that if you go wall to wall with fake grass in an area that is already covered with asphalt paving, sidewalks and cement homes, the idea of having a urban landscape
covered 100% wall to wall with synthetic materials should make some air conditioning contractors pretty happy. So from one green thumb to another, did anyone ever think of an artificial golf course? Here we go again! http://www.echobasin.com/golf.htm

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In every monthly issue of "Golf Course Management Magazine" there is a feature called "John Mascaro's Photo Quiz" located on page 26. The feature has two turfgrass related photographs that you are asked to identify as well as some clues about location. The correct answer appears in the back of the magazine. It
is informative as well as fun.

Having to come up with two pictures each month is always a challenge and that is why I am seeking help from my newsletter readers. The quiz contains two pictures, one is a common photo of things that happen to most golf course superintendents, and I have lots of these type pictures. The second picture is the ones that are hard to figure out or something that is unique to your particular part of the country or world. Wildlife damage is always a good subject as well as many other unique agronomic situations. So if you are so inclined, I would like to have your photo’s low resolution is ok for the proof but the actual photo needs to be as high resolution as possible or in the form of a negative. If I use the photograph in the magazine, you will get full credit! You can send photographs to: John Mascaro, 3669 NW 124th Avenue, Coral Springs, FL. 33065 or email to john@turf-tec.com

For those of you that haven’t seen the quiz, here is a sample:

Issue: September 2002
Turfgrass Area: Golf Green
Location: Eastern Missouri
Problem: Small plants growing every 2 inches on shaded green in early morning.

Answer (In magazine on separate page): A shaded green had been aerified on two inch centers late on a
fall day and the holes had been left open overnight. The following day the green was top dressed. After
several days went by, the maple seeds that were deposited by the overhanging trees germinated and
started to grow causing this problem. Several mowings were needed to kill the young maple squirts.

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STMA conference and show.

The Sports Turf Manages Association just wrapped up its 15th annual conference and show in San Diego. I was in attendance and enjoyed seeing lots of familiar faces and also meeting lots of new people.  Some highlights of the show were the fine educational sessions offered as well as the two area tours. Of course when George Toma auctioned off the shirt off his back at the live auction, which will probably go down in history of the most unforgettable moments in STMA conference history.

Start Planning now for the 2005 STMA National Conference and show.

The 2005 STMA National conference and show will be in Phoenix, AZ next year January 19-23rd. You visit the STMA website at http://www.sportsturfmanager.com/

STMA TurfBlast Newsletter is up and running.

If you are a member of STMA then you should be sure that the association ha your current email address. Every month they will send to you a newsletter with current information on the association and profession as a free member service. Be sure your information is current by logging onto their website at http://www.sportsturfmanager.com/

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Golf Course Superintendents Association just has their 75th conference and show February 9th - 14th, 2004. The show was unbelievable and I want to thank everyone who stopped in and said hello. I really want to thank everyone who stopped in and purchased something! I made a lot of new friends and saw some people like those guys from Hawaii, Florida, and also just about every other state and country. I think San Diego is a great place for the show and they have my vote to return as soon as possible. Also, all you people who promised me pictures for the photo quiz, I have your names!

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Website

I have added lots more pages to my website as well as a search feature that will allow you to find
anythingon my site. Just go to http://www.turf-tec.com/searchsite.html

Products

I have added several new products to my line this year. They are as follows (With links)

Short Handle Mascaro Profile Sampler - http://www.turf-tec.com/MPS-short.html

Ph Pen by Hannah - http://www.turf-tec.com/PHEP5lit.html

PH Pen by Spectrum - http://www.turf-tec.com/PHPROlit.html

EC Soil Meter for Salt Content - http://www.turf-tec.com/EClit.html

Duich Ball Mark Plugger - http://www.turf-tec.com/Duich.html

Free 2004 Catalog

Want a 2004 Turf-Tec catalog? Just click on http://www.turf-tec.com/form.html and fill out the form and one will be on its way to you.

Online Ordering

Turf-Tec International offers secure online ordering on our website for those of you that want to pay for orders with credit cards. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. To try this feature out click here: http://www.turf-tec.com/orderform.html

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Also, if you know another Golf Course Superintendent or Sports Turf Manager that would like to receive the Turf-Tec Digest, have them forward their email address along to me. In addition, I get most of my new product ideas from Golf Course Superintendents and Sports Turf Managers who see a need in the industry that has not been filled. Be sure to look at the new product section on my web site for new additions. http://www.turf-tec.com/Map.html

Privacy policies.

If you received this newsletter directly from john_mascaro@turf-tec.com, don’t worry. I personally acquired your name by researching each golf course and sports facility individually. In addition Turf-Tec does not buy, sell, trade or share their mailing list with anyone. We also have taken security measures to insure that your name will not be passed along to other people. If, however you still do not want to receive this newsletter, simply respond to this email with the words "remove" in the subject line and your name will be permanently deleted from our list.

If you have not received your new free 2004 Turf-Tec Catalog call us.

Our toll free (800) 258-7477 or email me at john@turf-tec.com or fill out the online form at http://www.turf-tec.com/form.html

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Turf-Tec International

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Tallahassee, FL. 32303
Order Line (800) 258-7477
Phone (850) 580-4026
Fax (850) 580-4027

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