Page 35 - Transitioning Turfgrass

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6 ETS Field Days

a relatively small portion of the area to convert two growing seasons with selective herbicides be-
and the propagation material is positioned only ing applied for cool season suppression.
where such conditions exist. Single plant transplanting is a technique for warm
Strip sodding is a partial replacement of the ex- season turfgrass establishment that has been de-
isting turf. The main advantage is the reliability of veloped from the technology of greenhouse hor-
the establishment method and the cost reduction ticulture. Single plants of turfgrass species are
compared to complete re-sodding of the area. produced in seed trays and mechanically trans-
Nonetheless, it remains a labor and time consum- planted in the field at the preferred density. Also,
ing method. for this technique specific machinery is required to
Row planting is a method of vegetative establish- create furrows, deliver plants to a given place and
ment. Planting machines with coulter disks open 5 press the soil to make good contact with the roots.
cm deep slits at 15 cm centres and then press sprigs In this case, competitive advantages with respect
into the slits, allowing to use vegetative propaga- to the existing turf lie in the propagation materi-
tion material both on prepared soil or a desiccated al itself that is represented by whole plans with
turf. Row planting has been tested to establish the shoots, leaves and a fully developed root system
vegetatively propagated Patriot bermudagrass on that start their active growth immediately after
a mixed stand of Kentucky bluegrass and Peren- transplant. Resistance to traffic is similar to that
nial ryegrass. Results showed that 14 weeks after of mature plants and occasional irrigation deficits
planting the Bermudagrass cover was 81% where are not as harmful as for germination seeds or
the cool season stand had received no pre-planting sprouting buds.
treatment, while 93% and 100% where recorded Whatever the method adopted some general
where the pre-existing turf was strip killed or totally considerations can be drawn. A period of at least
killed before planting. two weeks of use suspension is required to allow
Lower values have been reported with row plant- frequent watering. As to turf quality, after prop-
ing yielding a 30-40% bermudagrass ground agation material is seeded or planted the quality
cover at the end of the growing season when of the surface may be acceptable for play but
scalping was applied as pre-plant treatment. objectionable for some: local rules for play should
Strip seeding is the adaptation conventional seed- be applied when a ball comes to rest on a seeded
ing to narrow strips within an existing turf. A spe- or transplanted spot. As to turf appearance un-
cific piece of equipment has been developed in pleasant visual quality occurs due to disturbed soil
order to create 5 cm wide strips of tilled soil where strips and during first winter due to non uniform
seeds are positioned. Competition from untilled browning. Non chemical weed control might be
borders is further decreased by spraying a non se- the most challenging task for turf managers that
lective post-emergence herbicide that widens the adopt a soft transition strategy.
treated area to approx 7,5 cm. A press wheel en-
sures good seed to soil contact, thus providing a
further improvement of conditions for seed germi-
nation. Reduced use of seed and herbicide (80%
less), limited surface disruption (11% of the treated
area) and ideal conditions for seed germination
are the main advantages of this technique. Pub-
lished data report a Riviera bermudagrass cover
of 41% the year of planting and 71% cover the fol-
lowing year with verticut applied as pre-seeding
treatment. Strip seeding with zoysiagrass gave Photo 1 Fully automated transplanting machine: details of the
52% seeded zoysia ground cover in two growing double disk coulters used for transplanting single plants into an
season that rised to 73% and 90% the following existing turf.

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