Game Changer - Selecting and Managing New Warm-Season Turfgrasses

Tuesday, February 4
8:00 am – 10:00 am

Registration Required

Is your golf course locate in area with water restrictions? Maybe water is getting more and more expensive? Are you facing increased disease pressure? Or maybe you simply would like to try a new grass that will perform better and save you a few bucks in maintenance? Breeding programs across southern United States have been tirelessly working for years to anticipate needs and create warm-season turfgrasses that will help to solve problems and meet expectations of the golf industry. New cultivars of bermudagrass, zoysiagrass and other warm-season species with improved tolerance to various stresses, including drought, shade, diseases and pests, has been released in last few years. Even more of these exciting grasses are coming soon. “But which one is the best for me?” – you may ask. And with continuous progress in breeding, should you convert now, or wait a bit longer for your perfect choice? Another question is how to make the most out of rather big investment of converting to a new grass. The aim of this course is to present current selection of warm-season turfgrasses and their performance under reduced inputs, especially irrigation. We will also discuss tolerance to traffic and recovery from divots of drought tolerant bermudagrass cultivars, as well as other aspects of managing older and newer cultivars of most popular warm-season species.

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