October 31, 2007

*Managing Sports Turf:

Here are a few tips from the September 2007 issue of “Turf” magazine on managing sports turf.

            --move drills and goals around on the field if it is used for both practices and games – this will help keep the most-used areas in good condition for games

            --try some synthetic turf along the sidelines, especially in teams’ and coaches’ boxes – but pay attention to the transition area in between to protect players, coaches, officials, and others involved as they enter and exit the playing field

            --maintain good management practices such as mowing regularly, removing no more than one-third of the grass at any one time.

*Some Benefits of Fallen Leaves:

Leave leaves and other plant debris on-site for some of these benefits (From “Turf,” September 2007):

            "--foster living soils

            --increase soil organic matter

            --improve soil structure and reduce compaction

            --retain topsoil

            --create healthier plants

            --reduce the need for irrigation, fertilizers, and pesticides

            --reduce the air pollution from transporting plant debris long distances to be processed or landfilled

            --reduce … gas emissions caused by plant debris decomposing without oxygen in landfills

            --conserve landfill space

            --restore the soil’s ability to absorb and filter water, reducing pollution and storm water runoff into local creeks….”

*Great Year for Mushrooms:

We have received record numbers of inquiries this growing season about mushrooms in yards and gardens, and even coming up through asphalt! They are tricky to identify properly, and very few people have the knowledge and skills to do this. We in UW Cooperative Extension do not recommend trying to ID them yourselves. Contact us for further information on identification.

            Mushrooms generally appear sporadically, when weather is wet. Usually they will disappear on their own as temperatures warm up and the area dries out.

            Two excellent publications are available online for learning more about mushrooms and management strategies. They are “Mushrooms and Fairy Rings” from Colorado State University

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/1506.html and “Mushrooms and Other Nuisance Fungi in Lawns” from the University of California – Davis http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74100.html.

*New High Tunnel at UW:

Over the summer Karen built, with the help of graduate student Maureen Veniegas and greenhouse manager Brad Williams, a 20′ wide x 36′ long x 12′ high season-extending high tunnel. High tunnels are defined as season-extending covered structures with no heating, minimal cooling (roll-up side vents), but with access to water. They are regarded as inexpensive, temporary structures, covered with a single layer of polyethylene plastic.

            We plan to use ours for continued work on extending the season for growing small fruits and vegetables. We hope to show growers in Wyoming the feasibility of using high tunnels for starting the growing season earlier in the spring and extending it later in the fall. A small trial was run late this summer with strawberries and peppers.

*In the Panter Back Yard:

Speaking of mushrooms, we’ve had them all over the yard this year. The majority of the west side of the house and back yard are shady, cool, and moist – perfect for mushrooms. We let them do their thing, and almost with exception, they dried up and disappeared on their own. They are quite beneficial (usually) as they help decompose organic matter in and on the soil.

            This seemed to be a good tomato year, too, with higher-than-normal precipitation and warm weather. Other crops loved it too, like broccoli, peas, carrots, and raspberries.

            We blew out the sprinkler system two weekends ago, making way for cold temperatures which seem to be here already. Wouldn’t you know it warmed up a bit over the weekend, so out came the hoses.

            Many of our ornamentals did very well this year including:

Lotus parrot beak – check this one out next season – Lotus berthelotti (or possibly L. maculatus – not sure which species) – silvery gray foliage, scarlett flowers – excellent in containers, hanging baskets, or as annual ground cover (not perennial here)

Penstemon ‘Phoenix Red’
Bacopa white
Zinnia ‘Zowie’
Scaevola ‘Whirlwind Blue’
Helichrysum ‘White Licorice’

Happy Halloween!

Karen L. Panter, Ph.D., C.P.H.
Extension Horticulture Specialist
University of Wyoming
Plant Sciences - Department 3354
1000 East University Avenue
Laramie, WY 82071
307-766-5117 office
307-766-5549 fax