[Doug Siebert]

Maybe this will be the thing that helps us get rid of the overly green grass on golf courses (not that it would solve the whole problem, but lawns and golf courses are clearly the easiest initial target)

These articles discuss what is happening to the world's oceans due to chemicals in runoff, primarily nitrogen from fertilizer, which are creating a lot of extra algae and bacteria which are go all the way up the food chain to the fish we eat and the larger animals who eat them as well.


http://www.latimes.com/news/local/oceans/la-me-ocean30jul30,0,6670018,full.story

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/oceans/la-me-ocean31jul31,0,7653060,full.story

[Ryan Farrow]

I can only imagine how small of an effect the golf course industry has on this. We need to worry more about run-off into the ponds and rivers that people and animals use on a daily basis.

[Chris Neff]

Ryan you have hit it on the spot. We're dealing with this issue in FL. Everybody is trying to point blame on the turf industry as a whole. The problems are from over development throughout the state and another issue is homeowners getting fetilizer and chemicals on the pavement and concrete and then washing into the rivers, canals, and oceans. Educating the public is a difficult thing to do. The Florida Supts are getting really scrutinized throughout the state and we are doing a better job with attending water management meetings and local town meetings to defend ourselves. it will take time but it will hopefully get better over time.

Chris Neff,GCS
Timuquana CC

[Doug Siebert]

I'm not saying that golf courses have much of an impact percentage-wise compared to lawns and especially agriculture, but certainly lawns and the fertilizer industry do have a major impact.  It'd be harder to try to push this against agriculture, but I could see coastal states like Florida come out hard against fertilizers for lawns and golf courses because they are easily visible targets and are almost exclusively done for aesthetic reasons.  Don't underestimate what a little drop in tourist revenue due to repeated red tides could cause legislators to do!  I haven't ever seen a red tide, but I had assumed until I read the articles that it was only an issue if you actually went in the water, its pretty bad if it can get to you inside your home with the windows closed!

I don't think it would be a terrible thing if there were limits or even bans placed on nitrogen fertilizer for golf courses and (especially) lawns.  If emerald green grass became considered gaudy or tacky in the same way fur coats are now considered by many conditioning would not be aimed at the ANGC/suburbia "ideal" and perhaps overwatering would be reined in as well.  One can hope...

[Craig Sweet]

I bet many of the "firm and fast" advocates on this board wouldn't be caught dead with a yellow or brownish lawn.

[Troy Alderson]

I bet many of the "firm and fast" advocates on this board wouldn't be caught dead with a yellow or brownish lawn.

Bold statement Craig.  Be careful.

As for educating the general public about proper turf care, I am all ears.  I myself water my lawn 2 days per week for a total of 1.2 inches per week in the high desert of Oregon.  And I have fine fescue in the front lawn and a KBG/fescue mix in the back lawn.

Educating the general public about proper lawn care and water use should be the golf industries top priority, bar none.  Every superintendent should make every effort to write essays about turf care for the local newspapers, etc.  I have written for the company newsletter at least.

Troy

[Lloyd_Cole]

I bet many of the "firm and fast" advocates on this board wouldn't be caught dead with a yellow or brownish lawn.

But not all.
Ours is getting so brown Liverpudlian passers by could mistake it for a pitch and putt.

[Doug Siebert]

Troy,

I'm curious why you are watering your lawn at all.  Would that species of grass not survive in your climate otherwise, or are you preventing it from going totally dormant and brown?

All I know is that the generic lawn grass (bluegrass, I guess?) that my parents had at the various houses I lived at as a kid, and the grass I have now will go completely bland colorless brown during a dry summer, but I've never ever seen it actually die.  It recovers nicely with sufficient rain, if it stays dry from June to October then it just stays brown the whole summer and never greens up post-spring, but it is fine the next spring.

I've never understood the fixation with green grass on a lawn.  Ignoring all GCA related stuff, I absolutely LOVE dormant grass for a lawn because it doesn't need mowing.  If I could have a lawn that stayed dormant all the time and you had to do something special to wake it up (special chemical or whatever) I'd get it to a nice even cut then leave it dormant for years, quite happily.  Maybe I'm just lazy but I fail to see the point in watering and fertilizing my lawn constantly so it can stay a bright green and require constant mowing, when it is much easier to let it go brown and allow me to ignore it.

[ForkaB]

Inlclude me in the non-watering brigade.  My "lawn" has a lovely brownish/purple hue, is stimping at about 8-9 and when my youngest daughter fell off the climbing frame last week she didn't even make a dent in the turf.

[Doug Siebert]

You might want to put down some soft sand under that 'climbing frame' (is that UK-speak for 'jungle gym'? ) lest your daughter become dented by the firm and fast Scottish turf!

[ForkaB]

Thanks for the concern, Doug, but my youngest is very sturdy.  And yes, climing frame = jungle gym.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Doug,

While I have no doubt that there are some serious concerns in that article that must be addressed, a quick read makes it sound (to me) like another one of those scare articles, as it jumps from the original premise on to several others, in the "its all tied together" theory.

I agree most homeownes over water, and home lawns may contribute more fertilizers to the watersheds than golf courses, if only because small lawns mean more fertilizers get thrown out on the concrete streets and driveways where they wash.  I don't think you can eliminate nitrogen, but if you were concsicentious, you would put up boards along your street to keep the overspray from going off turf.

Studies show 99.6% or more of N applied to turf stays right there.  I think Ag, where its applied to bare soil is a bigger culprit (not to mention far bigger acreages)

I suppose it would help - and will happen - that the fertilizer companies will engineer the fertilizers to increase that retention, and with safe spreading practices, I think the impact of turf fertilizers on waters, and oceans, can be minimized to almost zero.

[Steve Lang]

 

seems clear.. we have to stop farming, eating, and using toilets.. hmmm and perhaps trying to manipulate the environment?

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