[Brent Hutto]

What's the name of the chemical that is used to gas-sterilize an area in preparation for a new variety of grass or whatever?

I've seen putting greens about to be regrassed or agricultural fields being prepped for tomatoes covered with a plastic tarp and some kind of gas is introduced underneath the tarp to kill everything and sterilize the soil. Don't recall what the chemical is though.

[S. Huffstutler]

Methyl Bromide.


Steve

[RJ_Daley]

Brent, no doubt you probably googled Methyl Bromide.

It is phazed out.  They are using Basamid treated turf covered with plastic lately.  Apparently, it is effective for things like poa, but not so much on Bermuda.  But, nematodes are the big thing that MB was effective on, and I'm not sure what substitutes they are planning on using in the future to control them.  It could be a real conundrum for supers in those climates where nemetodes are serious problems.

[SL_Solow]

RJ,  I thoutht MB was being phased out now but still usable for a while?  I know some courses down here in Chicago used gas as late as last fall.  I am not familiar with gov't grg on this.  Anyone know for sure?

[Steve Lang]

 

Go to

http://www.epa.gov/ozone/mbr/

[Brent Hutto]

I've definitely seen agricultural fields with the tarps over them for gassing in the past couple of years. And one golf course nearby undergoing renovation had all of the existing greens covered when I was there last year. A member told me they were killing off the Bermuda hybrid in order to replace it with some different grass.

Maybe there is some other reason to cover soil like that or maybe there is some alternative gas they use, although my Google searching indicates there are no particularly effective yet ozone-safe alternatives. So maybe there are just a lot of exemptions being granted.

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