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/543149
www.stma.org August 2015 | SportsTurf 41 The left photo shows what Bruderek started with in August 2014. The right photo was taken just 7 months later in spring 2015. While continuing to improve his prac- tice fields, Bruderek is also working closely with the team on the new downtown sta- dium. The most pressing item now is sod selection. "Right now, I'm between Tifway 419 bermudagrass and Celebration bermu- dagrass. I've heard a lot of great things about Celebration's wear, shade and sun tolerance plus its darker color," said Bru- derek. "But the new stadium planners did extensive sun testing through computer simulation and we know the grass will get good hours of sun every day." The new stadium, which will seat be- tween 25-28,000 fans, is planned to open in the summer of 2016. As the downtown stadium takes shape this summer, Bruderek will continue to enhance his practice fields, verticutting, topdressing and aerifying as much as he can. "Once the new stadium is done, I'll be running back and forth quite a bit and I hope to have some help by that time," he says. "But until then, my plan is to get these fields in top shape for the team." ■ ST Machine to fight Chafer grubs P eter Wisbey is an independent greenskeeping consultant with over 48 years of hands-on experience in the UK and across Europe. The problem of Chafer grubs is not a new one and the usual approach is to consider the application of insecticides. However this option is becoming increasingly dif- ficult to justify and an alternative sustainable solution is needed. "The first indication that there is a problem is usually damage from foraging birds and mammals eager to reach the chafer larvae lurking in the soil." explains Peter "Insecticides that will control Chafer larvae are few, and in mainland Europe are almost non-existent. So while I was working with a golf course in Northern Germany it became apparent that we needed to 'think outside the box' and come up with a way to deal with these damaging pests." After studying data Peter established that the grubs are closest to the surface between August and October. "The Club suggested shooting the crows;" joked Peter "But as I explained this was address- ing the effect and not the cause. The larvae feed on the grass roots; sometimes to such an extent that large areas of turf can be rolled up like a carpet and the larvae will be found just below the interface." What was needed was a machine that could crush the larvae during those months when they were closest to the surface. The answer came in the form of the Imants Rotoknife. In 2011 Windlesham golf club in Surrey, UK had consulted Peter and had purchased an Imants Rotoknife to carry out the in- creased aeration program that he had recommended. "It occurred to me that this piece of equipment could be just what we needed in Germany to help with the Chafer problem," said Peter. The Imants Rotoknife is fitted with two sets of blades that pen- etrate at different depths and spacings. A machine was duly purchased and put to work on the worst effected fairway. The smaller blades were used and set at 5 cm spacing and at a similar depth of penetration. Passes in three dif- ferent directions were taken to achieve as much cover as possible. The combination of weight and sharp blades had the desired effect killing the bugs just below the surface. It would appear that birds listen to the activity of the bugs to locate them under the surface. Dead bugs hold no appeal! Within one day damage from birds ceased. ■ ST