Top Lawn Care Tips

Along with helping golf courses achieve the best playing conditions possible, USGA agronomists also get plenty of questions about routine lawn care. To help out everyone that is trying to get the best from their yard, we polled our staff to get their top recommendations for successful lawn care. You shouldn’t expect your yard to look like a golf course, but our staff has a few simple tips that should put you ahead of the game on your street.

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Turf & Landscape - MSU Extension News - August 25, 2023

Dealing with storm-damaged trees

Dealing with a yard full of damaged trees can be an overwhelming and sickening feeling for homeowners. In some cases, the decision of what to do with a damaged tree is obvious, but often the decision of whether to try to keep a tree can be difficult. If you are a homeowner or someone who advises homeowners, there are several good resources to assist with the process of assessing storm damage to trees after a storm.

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What Makes a Good Green Committee Chair?

The green committee chair can play a key role in the success of a golf course maintenance operation and the club as a whole, but some don’t approach the job with the right motivations or get enough time to learn through experience so they can leave the course in the best situation possible. In this article, Brad Klein draws on decades of experience working with clubs and specific examples from around the country to highlight strategies for being a successful green committee chair – and some important mistakes to avoid

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Native plants suitable to grow near a drainfield?

Landscaping over your Septic system whether a formal garden or informal one can be tricky. You want to have a beautiful yard but not at the expense of damaging your onsite waste water system.

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New Putting Green Irrigation System Saves Water

Golf has a water problem.

Each year, golf courses around the U.S. spend billions of dollars to keep fairways and putting greens lush and thriving. Depending on where a golf course is located, many courses around the world spend around $1 million each year on irrigation. Meanwhile, more and more golf courses face irrigation restrictions and water rationing.

Putting greens are especially difficult to keep perfectly watered. The grass is grown on a soil mixture that’s predominantly sand, allowing it to drain excess water during rain events. But because sand doesn’t hold water, the grass must be irrigated daily.

That’s a problem that MSU’s Hancock Turfgrass Research Center is working to solve. Thom Nikolai, MSU senior academic specialist, and his team are one year into a cutting edge putting green irrigation project.

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Creating captivating containers
I eagerly look out the window. YES! It’s sunny. I pull up the weather app while I drink my morning coffee. YES! The lowest temperature in the 10-day forecast in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is 48 degrees Fahrenheit. Michigan State University Extension has a table on statewide frost-free dates, which is a great reference for historical averages, and the climatologists are predicting above average temperatures and rainfall for the rest of the month. What does this mean? It’s time to shop for plants!

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When is it safe to clean up my yard this spring?
Bees, butterflies and other insect pollinators must spend the winter in sheltered locations to stay alive in northern climates. However, pollinators are a diverse group. They shelter through the winter in a variety of habitats and emerge on their own schedules. Planning spring cleanup to prevent harm to pollinators means learning about where they might be and when they might be moving to the next stage of their life cycle. In Michigan, some pollinators will emerge on the first warm sunny days of the year while others will remain in their winter shelters until June or July

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Cart traffic causes turf issues at many golf courses. While you may not be able to decrease the number of carts on your course, you can limit their impact with these strategies.

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Grass photography tips for ID: Help us help you!
Identifying grasses can be very tricky, but taking clear photos of key features can help speed along the process. Check out these steps to get the most out of your grass ID requests with Ask Extension, Michigan State University Extension, Michigan State University Plant & Pest Diagnostics and beyond.

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Scholarship applications are opening soon for MSU Extension’s fall online Foundations of Gardening course
Want to plan ahead for a fall gardening course from Michigan State University Extension (MSU Extension)? MSU Extension’s next Foundations of Gardening course runs from Sept. 3 – Nov. 19, with live sessions taking place on Tuesday evenings from 6-8:30 p.m. The online format enables you to participate from home with a variety of learning materials, including videos, readings and weekly live speakers

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