Sizing Up Sports Field Renovation
Nothing lasts forever. Even an athletic field that is creatively designed and meticulously constructed has a finite lifespan. By the age of 25 or 30, a typical field has usually seen its better days and becomes a candidate for a renovation....
BEAT THE HEAT
It's hot outside. That's right, I said it. Not in a I'm-trying-to-make-small-talk-in-the-elevator kind of way. But as a declaration. It's summertime and it's hot....
HOW TO: BUILD A BRICK WALKWAY
Brick walkways are a nice addition to the landscape. But if you decide to install one, you'll find the biggest challenge is making the base stable and the surface even....
FINDING ANSWERS
MAINTENANCE MYSTERY Q Last season we hydroseeded several lawns, some new construction, some renovations. After preparing the soil and checking the pH, we seeded all the lawns with northern climate seed using hydroseed mulch, starter fertilizer and tackifier....
The Giving Tree
When you think of all that trees provide us oxygen, shade, beauty and shelter it makes sense for grounds care professionals to do as much as they can to protect them from harm....
CULTIVAR EFFECTS ARE GREATER THAN THOSE OF SEEDLOT
When inspecting new seedings, do you wonder why one area germinated faster than another, even when they both have the same species of grass?...
ARS, TURFGRASS GROUP SIGN RESEARCH PACT
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the National Turfgrass Federation (NTF) recently signed an agreement to launch a long-term research program aimed at improving the nation's turfgrass....
SHORT CUTS
ALCA AND PLCAA ANNOUNCE INTENT TO MERGE The Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) and the Professional Lawn Care Association of America (PLCAA) announced that, pending ratification by their memberships, they will consolidate into a new green industry association on Jan. 1, 2005....
THE GROUNDS CARE PROFILER
As a grounds care professional, you are very conscious of how your day on the job is spent. You know what types of jobs your company works on, whether it is mowing, landscape design, turfgrass aeration or tree care....
READER POLL
Here are the reader poll results from the question posted throughout June on the Grounds Maintenance Web site, www.grounds-mag.com. Have you ever considered...
PRODUCT PREVIEW
UTILITY VEHICLE The Carryall 294 44 utility vehicle from Club Car uses the IntelliTrak system to deliver a fully automatic, on-demand 44. The vehicle...
Better BIDS
Enhancements for a lawn maintenance contractor should significantly add to the bottom line. However, they are often overlooked or neglected simply because they are managed improperly (or not at all) because of a lack of time and personnel to do so....
Downsizing
While Ralph Waldo Emerson was plodding behind a pony-drawn reel mower may well have been the moment he first mumbled those famous words, "If a man owns land, the land owns him."...
Cutting Up
There is a missing link in many lawn care programs an underutilized cultural practice that boosts turf health and, potentially, your bottom line. Vertical mowing is a healthy habit and a beneficial component of an annual turf care routine....
FOCUS ON: Walk-behind Aerators
Grass, just like people, can get overstressed sometimes. While we can take a vacation to unwind, your turf needs to unplug to reverse stress....
Application Aptitude
As a professional turf manager, you routinely apply pesticides and fertilizers as part of your maintenance operation. You already know that proper selection of chemicals is critical....
Focus On: Irrigation Software
Today's irrigation technology not only can design and evaluate your irrigation system, but also provide more weather data than The Weather Channel....
FINDING ANSWERS
WEEDS ARE WORK Q. I have established beds with lilies, hostas, bleeding hearts, hollies, ornamental grasses, vinca, sedum, bulbs and annuals....
Clear Cut
Cutting up brush. Felling trees. Trimming limbs. Without the help of a chain saw, you probably would never even consider offering these services to your clients....
SALINE IRRIGATION HAS VARYING EFFECTS ON TURFGRASS
Rough bluegrass is often used to overseed bermudagrass to provide winter turf cover in the Southeastern United States. Depending on location, irrigation water for these sites has some degree of salinity....
When Lightning Strikes
With the advent of solid-state control products and electrically actuated solenoids, the need for improved surge protection has begun to increase....
CHEMICAL UPDATE: Ornamental Products
While ornamentals may not receive the regular chemical applications that you often provide for turf, pesticides are still a critical tool for managing pests that attack trees, shrubs and herbaceous ornamentals....
THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS
The cost of doing business ain't what it used to be. Gasoline prices recently broke the $2 barrier in most of the country....
SHORT CUTS
RED IMPORTED FIRE ANT NEMESIS GAINS FOOTHOLD IN FLORIDA According to the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and scientists who are working to control the red imported fire ant, the permanent establishment of a new species of phorid fly is bad news for the aggressive ant that has spread across the southern United States....
Irrigating Difficult Spaces
Of the challenges faced in irrigation design, trees, stair-step landscape design, slopes, pots and planters tend to be the most difficult. Here is some advice for dealing with them....
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