SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/32290
ent of historic Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, PA says, “I don’t manage my course for health; I manage it for playability. Ironically, doing what is best for playability is what is best for water use as far as doing the right thing and being environmentally conscious.” Matt used the sensor system to dry his fairways to a level and keep it there for an extended period of time that resulted in a significant reduction in pesticide use as he simply took the disease pathogen facilitator (water) out of the equation by understand- ing what his moisture levels were throughout the soil profile. SCIENCE AGREES Science agrees with both of these gentle- men. But it is important to highlight one point that is consistent throughout the world of turf management. Those managers that seek information AND use that infor- mation to make better decisions are the lead- ers of the industry and are predominantly more successful than those that ignore infor- mation that helps them make better deci- sions. Even in areas where resources such as pesticides are absent, turf managers that pay attention to the always changing environ- ment in the turf system succeed at develop- ing those playability conditions that are sought after day after day. Science tells us that if we allow a soil to get too dry it repels water due to hydropho- bic reactions. On the flip side, if we allow the soil to remain too wet, water again is re- pelled but in a way that causes surface pond- ing and runoff as well as quickly deteriorated conditions from the wear and tear of play and maintenance. In addition, a sandy soil with an immature turf (less than 6 years) has quite a different reaction to soil than the same soil with mature turf on it due to the significant qualities of organic matter. Much focus is on organic matter and how much is too much. After sensing many soils and conditions, what is true is that organic matter nearly has no limits if it is consistent throughout the soil profile. It is particularly when we have a high level of organic matter condensed into a very small region where it gets compacted and restricts water move- ment that we really see problems develop. In addition, we lose the control of water through the profile in situations like this. The UgMO ProHome system that is being used across the country in residential and commercial landscapes as well as ball parks, will not allow irrigation to take place and will even adjust it appropriately to maintain the optimum level of moisture in the soil. This is not something that everyone is willing to give up…that is, the control of their water. Don’t worry, we’ve heard that over and over and ultimately, it is the infor- mation that comes from the UgMO moni- toring that allows the turf manager to make decisions he or she is most comfortable with making. So how does the system truly work and is it worth looking into as a resource for your operation? The later is a question only you can answer. However, the use of the system is simple. First it is important to understand some simple characteristics of water and soil physics. Remember from turf school that www.stma.org SportsTurf 15