Turf Topics
Turf News, Views and Tips
Southwest Florida Water Management District Receives an F for Skip a Week of Irrigation
Winter 2010, by Rick Orr
Southwest Florida Management District (SFWMD) Skip a Week of Irrigation promotion received an “F” because the non-elected government policy making board, SFWMD, deceived the public with the skip a week of irrigation public service announcement.Open Letter to Pinellas County Commissioners in Regards to Fertilizer Ordinance
Fall 2009, by Rick Orr
To the County Commissioners of Pinellas County,
Rick, The Lawn Spraying GuyI am an agronomist – a soil and plant scientist dedicating my life to understanding the life science of the relationship between soil and plants. I have a BS in Agronomy Va Tech ’79 and I am a certified pest control operator for the state of Florida and in the past held state certifications as irrigation contractor, landscape contractor and Arborist. I have owned and operator a lawn spraying company in Pinellas County for over 8 years. I taught environmental horticulture at the college level. I have over 30 years of experience in cultivating urban environments – golf courses, resorts, athletic fields, cemeteries and single family homes. I have a deep understanding of urban soil and plants – few things about the urban landscape are a mystery to me.
Thatch in St Augustine Lawns
Fall 2009, by Rick Orr
Typical St Augie Profile
The first time I walked across a healthy St Augustine lawn, I thought to myself “Thatch!” The lawn looked great, it was the middle of the summer (prime time for heat and water stress) and I recommended verti – mowing (sometimes called dethatching). Now 9 years later and a lot more experience with St Augustine turf, I do not recommend verti-mowing (dethatching). Thatch is a minor problem and the verti-mowing causes more damage to the lawn the thatch will cause.
ePay Online Bill Pay System
Summer 2009, by Rick Orr
Look for the ePay IconWithin weeks I will be launching an ePay online payment system to allow customers to pay by credit card via the internet. It is rock solid secure and as safe as any other payment system.
The ePay system is a simple – but secure - three step process. You provide the info required at each step, click "next", verify the information and click "submit payment" and you have paid you bill. Simple and secure!
Once (1x) per Week is Not Enough
Summer 2009, by Rick Orr
SWFMD: Water Restrictions: A non-elected governing body sets water restrictions
I service lawns irrigated with reclaimed water (3x per week water privileges)and many with well water (1x per week privileges). My observation is: Once per week watering is insufficient to sustain a St Augustine lawn in Pinellas County – it doesn't work!
1x per Week Watering
Once per week watering will only sustain the St Augustine turf in the most amicable areas of the lawn – the shady, the moist and the areas not stressed by sun, poor soils or biological stresses(i.e. nematodes) – in other words, only the perfect areas of your lawn will survive.The rest of your lawn will become “battle scarred” with dead, dying or weak turf with little chance of recovery or reclamation.
Electronic Document Information Service Of University of Florida Institute of Food & Agricultural Science
