On the Turf

Central
Florida
Sports Turf Mangers
Newsletter
A s s oc i at i o n
Volume 1,
Issue 3
On the Turf
Hello fellow Turfers
Can you believe that another three
months or 90 days have gone by
already? I sure have a hard time
believing it.
I thought I would update you with
what the Board has been working
on while you have been doing the
small things like mowing, aerating,
top dressing, checking the sprinkler system for breaks and leaks,
you know the little things we all
do.
As we all know by now we had a
great field day when we went to
St. Pete, it was such a big event
that we were able to put $1000.00
away and ear mark it for our new
CFSTMA Educational Green Industry Grant (s).
Yes you read correctly Educational Grant (s), that both Professional
and Commercial Members of the
Central Florida Sports Turf Mangers Association are eligible for.
Remember, the key word here is
MEMBER. Also another requirement is the field of study has to be
in the Green Industry trades.
We have enlisted Vera Gasparini
to help us with this venture. I
would also ask your patience as we
crawl through the process, we all
are aware that we have to crawl
before we can walk.
What we have so far and hope to
be able to continue down this
path as we find out more, is if
there is a member who is trying
to continue their education then
maybe we will be able to help. If
there is a child or grandchild of a
member they too can be eligible.
This is all the information at this
time I have to share about the
eligibility for the scholarship (s),
but I would like to mention how
we hope to fund the program as
we go forward, and the number
one way is from the funds we are
able to generate from the field
day events. As I stated earlier
after all expenses were paid we
were able to put $1000.00 towards the grant (s).
We also have stated that we
would have shirts for the 50th and
100th members which we now
have, as seen here.
We also want to offer these shirts
for sale to all our members and
after all costs are covered we
should be able to put $5.00 from
each shirt sold towards the grant
(s). Now that I have piqued your
interest ,you ask “How much is
the shirt”, $20.00, Yes that is
it !!!!
How cool will it be to help someone increase their knowledge
along with how professional we
will look as an organization
walking into an event dressed
in these shirts. I need to also
add that they are 100% cotton.
I get goose bumps just thinking about it.
If you want to join the cool
kids and order one of these
shirts send Mark your shirt
size and funds and he will
make it happen. Or better
yet I will have mine on for
the June 11th event at UCF.
So when you come to hear
our only Certified Sports
Turf Manger Jim Stamps
speak on W.A.M ( Water,
Aerification, Mowing), you
can also see the shirt and
place your order.
I look Forward to seeing everyone on the 11th, until then
have a Great few weeks be
Safe, and may you have No
turf problems.
Dale Croft
CFSTMA President
Member Profiles
As it has been said and
more than once this
Chapter is all about the
members and it was the
brain child of George
that we profile someone from the Professional side and the
Commercial side in
each issue.
And, here are our next
two volunteers.
I would ask that if you
do send in a profile that
you keep it to 300
words or less, no extra
spacing, and send us a
photo as well.
Andrew Couture
I am currently a Site Supervisor with Orange County Parks and Recreation at Bear Creek Recreational Complex
and South Orange Youth Sports Complex. Bear Creek Recreational Complex has a community center, a
football field, 2 baseball and 2 adult softball fields. South Orange Youth Sports Complex has a total of 8
fields, 2 big fields, 4 youth baseball fields and 2 youth softball fields. We also maintain a youth softball field
located in a local community.
I supervise a fulltime staff of 4 recreations staff, 6 parks staff and 10 part time staff.
I have been involved in the turf industry since graduating from Colonial High School in Orlando Florida. I ran my
own lawn care business for 12 years before coming to work for Orange County Parks & Recreation. I have
been employed with Orange County Parks & Recreation for the past 17 years.
I am currently a Certified Parks & Recreational Professional and looking into becoming certified Sports Turf manger in the near future.
I am married with 2 children and 4 grand kids.
In my off time I enjoy spending time with my wife or playing golf.
Andrew Couture
Site Supervisor
Orange County Parks & Recreation
Bear Creek/SOYSC
1600 Bear Crossing Drive
Orlando FL. 32824
Josh Marden is the Turface Market Development Manager for Profile Products LLC. He is responsible for promoting Profile,
and Turface Athletics products in the sports field market. In his role, Josh works with sports field designers and contractors to
develop specifications for projects and supports end-users in the industry, such as Major League Baseball, the National Football
League, Minor League Baseball, and Major League Soccer teams in the United States. In addition, Josh also supports and takes
part in educational programs hosted by distributors. Josh’s territory was recently changed to include the entire U.S. but will focus
on the southeast with a major emphasis on Florida. Josh works extensively with regional STMA chapters throughout the U.S. and
is looking forward to supporting the chapters in Florida in his new role.
Prior to his time at Profile Products LLC, Josh spent 12 years as a groundskeeper in the sports turf management industry. After
graduating from Virginia Tech in 2001 with a degree in Turfgrass Management, Josh worked on field maintenance crews at Roger
Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida (spring training site of the St. Louis Cardinals and Montreal Expos). Josh also worked on field
maintenance crews within the Virginia Tech Athletic Department and the Maryland Soccerplex. In 2004 he was hired as Head
Groundskeeper with the Delmarva Shorebirds (single A team of the Baltimore Orioles). Since that
time he has also served as the Grounds Supervisor for the Recreational Sports Department at Virginia
Tech, Head Groundskeeper at the Durham Athletic Park, and Head Groundskeeper with the Salem
Red Sox (advanced A for the Boston Red Sox). He has also gained experience working in South Korea, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic evaluating baseball facilities and training groundskeepers in
proper techniques. In addition to his degree, Josh has also completed the Certified Sports Field Manager certification program through the Sports Turf Managers Association.
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The Following are recommendations for the care of Warm Season Turfgrasses (Bermuda) from STMA. Please keep in mind that these recommendations are for the nation and as we all know the climates within are own Chapter are different when it comes to growing the Turf,
however they are a good guidelines to develop a plan specific to you particular site.
June-August
Mowing : We need to mow as often as
needed so that no more than 1/3rd of the
leaf blade is removed in a single mow.
Now that we have warmed up we all know
this can be as many times as three times a
week. Mowing early in the day helps to
expose plants to light and helps with the
growth of the turf.
Make sure to change the direction you mow
each time a field is mowed. This will help to
encourage upright growth and may help to
reduce the wear pattern from the equipment by always following the same pattern.
Irrigation : The recommended amount of
irrigation is 1” - 1.5” per week minus any
natural rainfall. Irrigation should occur on
an as needed basis. One or two irrigation
per week in some cases should be sufficient
to maintain a good health stand of Bermuda
grass. However each and every field even
on the same sight can be have different watering requirements and you should figure
out what is the best watering schedule for
your sight. I will say though seven days a
week is not the correct answer. If you are
watering this often there is a deeper issue
that needs to be looked into.
Fertilizer : To get a true ideal as to what
your soil (s) need and to help you with a
good fertilizer program you need to do a
If you guessed Fall Army Worm then
you are correct,
soil test, which will analyze the nutrient
requirements, and will provide the best
guide for fertilization to help you to maintain or achieve a healthy field. Make sure to
get a complete analyst which will include
both Macro and Micro nutrients.
Also in case you are unaware of what has
been going on across the state, there has
been a lot of emotional decisions being
made by are local governments which is
leading to a ban of Nitrogen being applied
during May-August (You need to check on
this I could have the dates incorrect). A lot
of organizations are trying to fight these
emotional laws, however some of them are
getting thru!
Also if you are in an area that bans phosphorus you will need the report to justify the
application of phosphorus.
Cultivation : Bermudagrass should only be
cultivated when it is actively growing.
Benefits of Soil Cultivation:

Physical penetration of soil improves
air, water and nutrient movement
within the root zone

Helps to alleviate soil compaction.
This is very important for high traffic
areas.

Improve water infiltration.

Helps to improve gaseous exchange
between the soil and atmosphere.

Helps to reduce thatch.
Weeds : This is one of the busy times in
weed control and we need to make sure to
get out Post emergent out for summer
weedy grasses, broadleaf weeds and sedges.
Insects : Keep your eyes on the temperatures are little friends are waking up and on
the move. We need to be on the look out
for Mole Crickets, armyworms, cutworms,
chinch bugs, sod webworms and in the late
summer White grubs.
Keep in mind that a healthy, dense stand of
turf is the best way to prevent disease, weed
or insect infections. Follow proper cultural
practices through out the year, including
fertilization, irrigation, mowing, seeding
and soil cultivation can help to minimize
and sometimes eliminate pest problems.
And, if you need to confirm what
you are looking at here is the link to
help with that. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/
ig001
Diseases : We have to keep our eyes out
for Brown Patch, Dollar Spot, Fairy Ring,
Pythium Blight.
Who
am
I ???
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During this time of the year we
may hear the phrases Thatch or
Scalping or Sheathing so here are a
few examples I have come across
and may help you to try and avoid
them at your site (s) in the future.
Thatch - Is defined as an intermingled layer of dead and
living shoots, stems , and
roots that develops between
the zone of green venation
and the soil surface. So I
guess what we really need
to discuss here is the
“Clumps” of grass that are
left behind after mowing .
When possible, Turfgrass
should be mowed when it
is dry, and when soil is not to excessively wet. As we all know, dry grass
mows better than wet grass. But even
though we are all short on TIME the
clumps have to be removed from the
field in order to prevent even more
problems such as diseases, pest problems and brown spots (on the turf).
Scalping - Can be defined as the removal
of an excessive quantity of green
shoots at any one mowing, resulting
in a stubbly, brown appearance due to
the exposed stems, stolon,, and dead
leaves.
Always use the highest recommended
blade speed when mowing with a rotary mower. Turfgrass is cut more
cleanly and evenly when the blades
are moving rapidly. Also,
operating a mower at excessive speeds can reduce
the quality of the cut.
When a mower speeds
across a field , it tears grass
blades instead of cutting
them. Keep in mind that
excessive speed also causes
the mower to bounce, resulting in an uneven cut.
Therefore the operator
should never exceed the
manufacturer’s recommended ground speed with
any mower, or the general
rule of thumb “Don’t mow
faster than you can walk”
Both types of damage will lead to an unsightly playing field, nevertheless the piles of wet clumpy grass will lead to
much more damage to the turf.
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MARK’S MESSAGE:
CFSTMA Turfers … Four quick informational topics you may wish to explore in more depth.
The first - I found on the Sports Turf web site under Informational Data. It is an excellent article pertaining to Storm water Runoff relating to ball fields. The focus and direction emphasizes the need to address BMP’s for Sport and Recreational Facilities. If
you have not already, I highly recommend you have your staff trained in the Florida BMP standards, an excellent support for ongoing training.
Second - is an article from Feb/March Florida Turf Digest by Travis Shaddox on Nitrogen in the Turfgrass industry. He notes,
the “Law of the Minimum” in which Justus Von Liebig popularized the idea in the 1800’s. It addresses plant growth is control by
the most limiting factor – generally Nitrogen with Florida consuming approximately 168,000 tons annually. In addition, according to FDACS, from 2011-2012 golf and athletics fields accounted for 6% of the total consumption of N usage in Florida.
Third - is a question I hear a lot … is the Spanish Moss killing my tree? The University of Florida has excellent information on
this epiphyte. It is a bromeliad in the pineapple family. It is not parasitic but uses the tree, fence or other object for support.
Heavy moss can break tree limbs or even reduce the photosynthesis process (reducing light) but healthy trees grow faster
than the moss. Moss today can be used for packing material but is more widely used for floral arrangements. If the
moss is abundant in your trees – or you just don’t like it, you can always have it removed.
Fourthly - is mentioning the dates May 19-23 will be the second year UF has promoted Bug Week! Read all about it on the UF
entomology web site or the article in this month’s Pest Pro.
“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” –
Marie Curie
May the forest be with you!
SEE YOU ON THE TURF!
Mark D. Miller
Chapter Meeting
When: 6/11/14
Where : UCF
W.A.M.
Have to attend to learn more!!!
Time : 11:30
Cost : Free, with Lunch Provided by Turface Athletic Products
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Commercial Member News
I want to thank our growing Commercial Membership for their Participation and Support! And
….a Special “Thanks” to those who had booths at the Turf Summit in St. Petersburg in February.
Please continue to mention CFSTMA to your contacts so we can make future Field Days and
Meetings even better!
We need you to continue to support CFSTMA, but as always please – No Solicitation at
CFSTMA Meetings. Meetings are for the educational benefit of both Professional Members and
Commercial Members, not for selling. There are opportunities to gain additional recognition by
volunteering on committees, sponsoring lunch, or providing educational presentations.
Your Presence and Support is Noticed and Appreciated!
Professional Members – Please consider our Commercial Members listed below when you are looking for a supplier.
AGH Management - Kevin Hudson
BASF Corporation - Al Clarke
Dan Morgan - Consulting Agronomist
Diamond Turf & Ornamentals - Perry Haley, Thom Chester
Ewing Irrigation - Cole Swaford, Vera Gasparini
Golf Ventures - George Lawson
Hendrix & Dail, Inc. - Roger Hruby
Howard Fertilizer & Chemical - Bob Hess
JSM Services - Jim Stamps
Lake Jem Farms - Jim Granger
Lido Chem Inc. - Glen Thompson
Pioneer Mfg. - Elaine Reed
Profile Products LLC- John Ferguson
Quality Turf – Bill Fraser, Jason Fraser
S & K Sod - David Smith
SMR Farms - Mac Carraway
Tara Solutions - Cesar Diaz
Tri Est Ag Group, Inc. - Chris Hoder, Matt Horak
Turface Athletics - Jeff Langner
Wesco Turf - Bill Johnson, Jerry Adams
Sincerely,
George Lawson
Commercial Vice President
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Job Posting : Closing date 6/16/14
Hi,
I am hoping that you will be able to help me find a quality facility grounds keeper. Faith Christian Academy and Faith Assembly are located on the corner of Hwy 417 and Curry Ford Road in east Orlando just south of UCF. We are close to finishing our second year on our
brand new 98 acre campus. Our campus includes a recently completed baseball and softball fields and a 23 acre, fully irrigated, practice
facility that will hold two complete FIFA regulation soccer/football fields. We have just purchased every known piece of equipment to
maintain our fields including multiple John Deere Gators, sprayers, Bermuda cutters, infield groomer, etc.
The ideal candidate would have experience managing crews, athletic fields, be certified in pesticide and fertilization, good understanding
of irrigation systems, landscaping, and must have a sense of humor. The candidate would need to be a practicing Christian and
become a church member.
The position would pay anywhere from $30k to $48k depending
upon references, certifications, and experience.
Please have candidate e-mail me their resume, references, and a
recent photo. No phone calls at this time please (I start spring
football tomorrow).
Here are our web sites and a older satellite photo of our facility
(see attachments).
www.fcalions.org
www.faithassembly.org
www.faithchristianfootball.com
Thank you so much for your help!!!
Andre Dobson
Head Football Coach
Faith Christian Academy
9307 Curry Ford Road
Orlando, FL 32825
c-727-647-0386
[email protected]
www.fcalions.org
www.faithchristianfootball.com
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