City of Bowie Parks & Grounds Best Practices to Green Your Lawn
Mission Statement Provide City of Bowie residents and park users safe, clean, and aesthetically pleasing parks, grounds, and athletic fields.
Where does grass grow?
Grass Growing Zones
Transition Zone According to USDA National Arboretum, this is the most difficult region in which to grow grass. cold enough in the winter to make it difficult to maintain warm-season species warm enough in the summer to make it difficult to grow cool-season species no one species is well adapted in this region
What are the Benefits of Turf? 55 square feet of turfgrass converts enough atmospheric CO 2 and releases enough O 2 for a person to breathe the entire day 1 Provides greatest practice for Stormwater Management Healthy, dense turf prevents runoff Natural cooling effect A football field has the cooling capacity of a 70 ton air conditioner 1 Turfgrass is a natural filter Prevents many air pollutants from seeping into the ground 1 Penn State University
What are the Benefits of Turf?- cont. Turfgrass control wind and soil erosion Stabilizes dust Reduces noise by 20-30% 1 Overall emotional well-being Hospital patients recover faster when have natural green space Home values increase Overall better quality of life-especially especially in densely populated urban areas
Parks and Grounds-Who We Are Parks and Grounds Division 32.1 FTE employees 2013-2014 2014 Adopted Budget $2,588,500 Stormwater Management Division 6.2 FTE employees 2013-2014 2014 Adopted Budget $441,400
What We Do Acres of grass maintained 232 Acres of Athletic field turf maintained 54 Acres of Common area (non-ballfield park) 78 Acres of R.O.W.-100 Acres of SWM basins, outfalls, and drainage areas maintained 107 Maintain all City Facility Buildings
City of Bowie Parks & Grounds What Types of Work Are Involved in the City s Turfgrass Maintenance: Mowing: : frequency, mowing height-follows 1/3 rule Fertilization: : soil testing, frequency, material analysis, equipment used - certified personnel & new regulations Irrigation: : Centrally controlled through the sensing of envirotranspiration Pest Control: : weeds, insects, diseases certified personnel & correct pest identification
Turf Maintenance 30.27% Total Man Hours Fiscal Year 2013 July 1, 2012-June 30, 2013 Ballfield Maintenance 3.27% Ballfield Painting 2.16% Fence Repair 0.20% Construction/Maintenance 5.59% Equipment Maintenance 2.04% Flags and Banners 0.11% Hort - Landscape Install 1.90% Hort - Landscape Maint 10.48% Tree Watering 0.03% Tree Trim - Service Call 1.35% Tree Trim - Routine 6.96% Tree Removal 2.35% Trail Maintenance 0.72% SWM Maintenance 12.33% Stump Removal 0.70% Playground Inspection 0.87% Refuse Removal 3.55% Storm Cleanup 0.60% Stump Cleanup/Repair 1.04% Hort - Seasonal Flowers 1.70% Mechanic Maintenance 0.24% Misc 7.31% Mulching 3.70% Snow Removal 0.52%
Parks & Grounds 2013 Turfgrass Maintenance Hours Pre emergent 1.00% Seeding 1.00% Lime application 0.45% Post Emergent 1.13% Fertilization 0.33% Insecticide Application- White Grub Control 0.23% Mowing 95.86%
City of Bowie Parks & Grounds Pest Control Type of Issue pest identification Weeds, insects & diseases Knowledge of pest & plant lifecycles, solutions, etc. Trained & Certified Personnel Over 150 Collective years of Certified experience in Turfgrass maintenance Equipment Used Spreaders Sprayers
Types of Pesticides Used by Parks and Grounds Lower Dose Chemicals Preventive Acelepryn-GrubControl Curative Dylox-White Grub outbreak Integrated Pest Management
Strategies for a Homeowner s Greener, Healthier Lawn
Cultural Management Tactics Poor or incorrect maintenance results in weakened turf and encourages pests Make certain you water in early morning Excessive water encourages disease and increases stress on turfgrass and may lead to weed colonization
Management Tactics- cont. Cultural-cont. Control of thatch and compaction Correct timing and frequency of core aerification and thatch removal Chemical Herbicides, fungicides, insecticides Only use if cultural practices fail and outbreak is severe
Mowing Frequency Mowing height Healthy Turfgrass 1/3 rule- if grass is 6 6 tall, only cut 2 2 Cutting too much at a time will cause stress Equipment Sharpen blades 1-21 2 times per season (for homeowners) Dull blades will tear grass and cause stress
Fertilization Turfgrass Health New MD State Law (regulations & standards) Soil Testing Turf Type (cool season vs. warm season species species selection)
Identify Pests Steps to Pest Control Include all insects, other animals, weeds, fungi, nematodes, bacteria, & viruses Identify potential pests that may migrate through seed, sod, springs, plugs, or soil Establish thresholds Budget restrictions Availability of sufficient water for area size
Steps to Pest Control- cont. Involve descriptive and predictive models When will pest appear? How much damage will occur? Develop an effective and economical pest management strategy
Disease Control NTEP-National National Turfgrass Evaluation Program provides best information as the what cultivars of grass seeds that are resistant to diseases in our area Common Diseases in Maryland on Fescue Turf Brown Patch Red Thread Striped Smut
White Grub Damage
White Grubs
Brown Patch
Best Management Practices Develop reliable monitoring techniques Sod test Cut 1 square foot of sod Count White Grubs Threshhold 8-10 per square foot Soil Testing-suggested suggested minimum every 3 years
How to Take a Soil Sample Tips for Obtaining Samples 10,000 sq ft.-10 sample areas Do in a zigzag fashion throughout area Separate samples for each type of area (garden, lawn, compost, ect.) Use clean tools (hand trough, soil probe) and collection bucket
Steps to Obtain Sample 1. Dig down 3-4 3 at each site and take small sample 2. Remove all objectionable matter- rocks, green matter, thatch 3. Place in bucket 4. Let dry thoroughly 5. Mix all samples together 6. Need at least 1 cup 7. Check off for recommendations, organic matter, etc.
Allen Pond Park
Allen Pond-Huston Field
Allen Pond-Huston Field
Allen Pond-Huston Field
Jericho Park
Whitemarsh Football
Whitemarsh Synthetic
Buckingham Park
Belair Mansion