Golf Course Industry – Injecting Different Theories

“Our greens have gotten a lot better since we started doing it from a firmness standpoint,” Tritabaugh says. “They weren’t bad, but in my opinion, they perform now just as well as they did when they were new.”

Tritabaugh and his team do not use an amendment during the process. Instead, the holes are filled with 100 percent sand. “We’re able to get the exact same sand that was in the root zone when the greens were built in 2010,” he says. “From a spec standpoint, it’s the same thing that’s already in there.”

Some have raised the question of whether DryJect will supplant traditional aeration as a standard industry practice. Tritabaugh doesn’t necessarily share that sentiment.

“I think it’s a tool to be used depending on what the superintendent’s desire is,” he says. “I think it would be a mistake to say that (core aeration) is unnecessary or that solid tining is unnecessary or that DryJect could replace either of those things.”

Based on his experience, Tritabaugh doesn’t believe the DryJect method will render core aeration or solid tining obsolete. Instead, he considers it just another tool in a superintendent’s turf toolbox.

“I think it can in the right situation, but I think it would be unfair to limit (a superintendent’s) tools,” Tritabaugh says. “It doesn’t mean one is particularly better than the others, but I think in the right situation certain ones are better.”

Tritabaugh hasn’t relied on pull-core/solid-tine practices at Hazeltine in recent years, but he hasn’t abandoned them either. “We’ve done some different methods on a couple of our greens,” he says. “Is it a tool we want to use in the future? It could be, but it’s not a part of our standard cultural practices.”

Rick Woelfel is a Philadelphia-based writer and frequent GCI contributor.

How To Keep A Christmas Tree Fresh And Green

You have a Christmas tree! Now it’s time to prevent your tree from losing all of its needles and keep your Christmas tree as fresh and green as the day it was cut. If you are wondering how to keep a Christmas tree fresh and green, follow the easy steps below.

Steps for how to keep a Christmas tree fresh and green:

Step 1: Give the trunk of your tree a fresh cut across the bottom. About a half-inch should do the trick.

Step 2: Place the tree in water. A Christmas tree is like any other plant, it needs water to survive.

Step 3: Find the ideal spot for your tree. Of course, you want your tree to be in a visually appealing spot, but try to identify a location that is away from a heat source (active fireplaces, heat vents, space heaters, etc.). Heat sources will quickly dry out your tree!

Step 4: Add 1 teaspoon of Nutri-Tree & Shrub liquid fertilizer to the water supply. Repeat application for every third watering.

 

By adding Mirimichi Green’s Nutri-Tree & Shrub you are giving the tree nutrients that will keep your Christmas tree fresh and green all season. You will see less fallen needles around your tree, which means less clean up. It will help keep your tree deep green and lush until the New Year.

Don’t wait for Santa to bring you this gift! Place an order at a distributor location.

Urban Sustainability Is Growing

Green roofs and walls are gaining popularity in urban developments. This unique landscaping trend is more than just an architectural design, it provides the base for plants to positively impact polluted urban and suburban environments.

Green roofs and green walls

Green roofs are any roof that is partially or completely covered with vegetation, typically planted on top of a waterproof membrane. Green roofs can be a whole system that includes root barriers, drainage, greywater treatment, and irrigation.

Green walls refer to any form of a vegetated wall surface. This broad concept encompasses three major categories: living walls, retaining living walls, and green facades.

Living walls consist of pre-vegetated panels, modules, bags, or planted blankets that are adjoined to a structural wall or frame.

Retaining living walls are home to vegetation and act as a support for slopes.

Green facades are systems of climbing plants, vines, or ground covers that form a supporting structure.

Here are some benefits of green roofs and green walls:

• Improves the longevity of roofs
• Help the tenants below regulate temperature. It is estimated that an average three-story building can save up to 25 percent in the summertime energy costs.
• Decreases stormwater runoff by 40-60 percent which decreases the amount that flows into sewers
• Provide opportunities for food production and urban agriculture
• Provide habitat for wildlife. This could be a way to decrease the devastating impact of urbanization on nature.
• Improves air quality and circulation
• Protects the building structure from harsh weather conditions
• Provides a sound barrier and poses as additional insulation

A greener future

Green roofs and walls are a big step for the sustainability movement in urban design and innovation. These landscaped buildings provide many benefits to the community including thermal insulation, lower utility bills, naturally filtered air and water, and an ecosystem for wildlife.

Tell us about your sustainable methods using the hashtag #MirimichiGreen on Instagram or Twitter.

Simple Steps to Control Erosion On Project Sites

Erosion can be a big problem, especially on construction sites. These simple steps will have a positive effect when controlling erosion and sediment problems on your next job.

Minimize disturbed areas

Control the territory of your project by working only in the necessary areas involved. Controlling the areas that are being worked on will reduce the erosion and sediment movement on the site. Keep as much natural vegetation as possible and do not disturb areas that have topsoil in place. Removing natural vegetation will disrupt the soil structure.

Create sediment traps or ditch

Direct runoff water to a prepared sediment trap. It can be controlled by redirecting water with diversion ditches located at the up-slope side of a construction site.

Stabilize Soils

Many permits require stabilization measures. Some temporary measures can include hydro-seeding, mulch, blankets, etc. If the stabilization measure is permanent it can vary from permanent seeding, planting, channel stabilization and green buffer. Make sure you use quality products to ensure the work will last.

Pro Tip: Incorporate CarbonizPN Soil Enhancer and Nutri-Release into your hydroseeding tank for quick and lasting results.

Slope protection

There are multiple options for erosion and sediment control on slopes that depend on the degree of inclination of the slope. Measures such as silt fence, fiber rolls, geo-textiles, turf blanket, and mats can be used as slope protection.

Storm inlet protection

Providing protection against erosion and sediment control on a storm drain inlet can be achieved by using silt fence, rock-filled bags, or block and gravel. The type of measure used will depend on the type of drain inlets opening and the flow that it is expected to receive.

Construction entrance

Stabilized construction entrances will reduce sediment being carried away by construction vehicles. It is recommended to have two construction entrances, formed regularly by large crushed stone areas.

Inspect for signs of erosion

Inspection is the key when working with sediment and erosion problems. Inspect your project after a storm event or just after a small rainfall. By conducting small routine inspections you will be able to prevent erosion on the project site.

Tell us about your successful erosion control methods using the hashtag #MirimichiGreen on Instagram or Twitter.

High Nitrogen Poses Risk To Environment

High nitrogen poses an alarming risk to the environment and researchers are taking note. The human production of fixed nitrogen being used primarily to fertilize crops is said to be responsible for approximately half of the total fixed nitrogen going into the environment, according to a new study by researchers at North Carolina State University and Duke University.

Human production of fixed nitrogen is five times higher than it was 60 years ago. The researchers say the substantial increase could pose as much of a threat to the environment as the increase of carbon-dioxide causing climate-warming. One form of nitrogen gas, nitrous oxide, is a potent greenhouse gas that can contribute to rapid global warming. High levels of nitrous oxide in the atmosphere will degrade the atmospheric ozone layer and can develop a hazardous ground-level ozone.

William H. Schlesinger, Professor of Biogeochemistry at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment says, “Earth has never seen this amount of fixed nitrogen.”

To conduct their study, the researchers at North Carolina State University and Duke University gathered historical data on fertilizer use in agriculture and recent estimates of nitrogen-fixation rates. They analyzed trends in human production of fixed nitrogen since the beginning of the 20th century. Then they placed these trends in context with recent estimates of natural nitrogen fixation and denitrification rates on land and in water.

The researchers conducting this study were stunned by their findings. “While carbon has captured the attention of the world through climate change, we cannot ignore this issue,” adds Viney Aneja, Professor of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Science at NC State. “Too much nitrogen can affect human health, reduce biodiversity and amplify global warming.”

Too much nitrogen (N2) in the soil benefits a limited number of species that can out-compete native species, reducing biodiversity, Aneja notes. The high levels of N2 pose a threat to human and animal health too. The high levels of N2 being used are now being found in groundwater. Excessive amounts of nitrogen in groundwater are associated with intestinal cancers and miscarriages and can be fatal to infants, as well as aquatic life.  

N2 compounds as a fertilizer have been used by the people for many years, but time has changed the type of fixed nitrogen being used. Historically, only naturally fixed sources, like compost manure and guano, were applied to fertilize crops. In the early 1900s, German chemists Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch discovered a process that converts atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia, allowing humans to produce nitrogen-based fertilizers on an industrial scale for the first time. In 1960’s, more than 60 percent of farms in the U.S. had converted to using chemical fertilizer and the average nitrogen rate was 17 pounds per acre. By 2007, U.S. farms were using 82.5 pounds of nitrogen per acre on average.

 

Companies like Mirimichi Green encourage the use of lower nitrogen rates and offer low NPK fertilizers and bio-stimulants. Mirimichi Green products are low in NPK, but high in nutrient availability and contain liquid carbon. NPK is often a temporary fix to soil biology problems. Unlike N2, carbon is the key solution to many soil issues that can arise. Carbon keeps the soil aerobic, holds nutrients in the root zone, gives a home for all the protozoa, hype, fungi and other necessary elements for healthy plants and soil.

 

CITATION: “Is Nitrogen the Next Carbon?” by William Battye, Viney P. Aneja, and William H. Schlesinger, Aug. 29, 2017, Earth’s Future. DOI: 10.1002/2017EF000592