Turfnet Radio

Frank Rossi takes the hotline on the road to Nebraska to chat with Professor Bill Kreuser about his growth management work with mowing heights, nitrogen rate and PGR program impacts on performance.  Just in time for the virtual field day this week. Be sure to take look and listen. Recorded August 7, 2020.

Frank Hale, Ph.D., entomologist at the University of Tennessee, talks about turfgrass insect pests that are common and native to warm- and cool-season turf in Tennessee, and also shares management tips. Hale, who is based at the university's Soil, Plant and Pest Center in Nashville, also discusses how changing climate conditions have affected pest migration, the threat of invasive species and the importance of daily scouting on golf courses to minimize damage and inputs.

Frank Rossi chats again with UW-Madison Badger Turfgrass Pathologist Paul Koch about the onslaught of disease issues facing midwestern superintendents, an alarming outbreak of annual bluegrass weevil, and what lies ahead for those sustaining annual bluegrass in the face of summer patch and anthracnose issues! This is this is the best 18 minutes you will spend learning this week!

Annual bluegrass remains a blessing and curse to the golf turf industry. Professor Shawn Askew, Weed Scientist Extraordinaire from The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, has been studying the impact of annual bluegrass on trueness of a putting surface, as well as being expert on the use of PoaCure (Methiolzolin) for annual bluegrass control in creeping bentgrass. As an extra treat, Shawn is an accomplished “grass rapper” so be sure to listen all the way to the end. You don’t want to miss it!

In this July 21, 2020 episode of Turfgrass Hotline, Frank Rossi makes his monthly visit with Lee Butler, Director of Diagnostic Services at NC State as he’s driving to the mountains of North Carolina! A lively discussion of Take-All Root Rot, a complex of root pathogens attacking Ultra-Dwarf Bermudagrass. It’s been pretty good bentgrass and bermudagrass weather, Lee tells us, but there are problems ahead with heat building and plentiful moisture. You don’t want to miss the warning at the end! Presented by DryJect, Civitas and Plant Food Company.

In this episode of Frankly Speaking, Dr. Frank Rossi speaks with Angelica Carmen, Sustainability Specialist at Cog Hill Golf and Country Club in Lemont, IL. Angelica works with golf course supt. Chris Flick and directs Fairway Farms, a farm to table experience at one of the world’s great public golf courses! Frank and Angelica discuss establishing a small urban farm among 4 four golf courses and using the land to promote environmental stewardship and food production. There are plenty of tips for you to see how a farm to table experience might be just the thing in a Post-COVID world! Presented by DryJect, Civitas/Intelligro and Plant Food Company.

In this more serious episode from Rockbottum Country Club, Randy and the gang share their experience in golf course renovations and resurrections. In Storytime, they tell about one of their most successful reno projects ever. Cletus solves the coronavirus mask shortage problem; visiting "Science Boy, Ph.D." tests a new technique for killing sting 'todes, and Willy gets thrown in timeout for fighting amongst himself. Presented by DryJect.

In this episode of the TurfNet Turfgrass Hotline Northeast, Frank Rossi and Rich Buckley discuss the onset of summer stress, anthracnose, root diseases and how to build resiliency into your playing surfaces. As Frank and Rich “make do with what they got”, the rest of us get to enjoy another lively conversation regarding the pest and stress turf managers are facing in the northeast! Recorded July 7, 2020. Presented by DryJect, Civitas and Plant Food Company.

In this episode of Turfgrass Hotline, Frank Rossi and Lee Butler chat about a warm, wet start to the season during the COVID lockdown, and how both warm- and cool-season grasses struggle with rooting issues from nematodes to take-all! A lively discussion about Asco-whatta? Leaf spot and brown patch in tall fescue. It’s a great day in the Carolinas! Recorded June 23, 2020. Presented by DryJect, Intelligro/Civitas and Plant Food Company.

The roller coaster that is the Spring season in the Midwest did not disappoint. In fact, the BEST snow mold year, says Dr. Paul Koch of the University of Wisconsin-Madison... and now summer patch samples, Pythium root issues in areas that are very wet (like Iowa), and using dollar spot model to justify new fairway grasses. Whew! Lot of ground covered with this Badger! Recorded June 23, 2020. Presented by DryJect, Intelligro/Civitas and Plant Food Company.

Ohio State professor Karl Danneberger, Ph.D., shares his experience with the Covid-19 virus. Karl was diagnosed with virus in March, spent a month in the hospital at OSU. He talks with us about pre-existing conditions that made him more vulnerable to the disease, his experiences on a ventilator, going through rehab, dealing with some residual health issues since being released from the hospital, the strength of his family, what it was like to finally see his wife after being apart for a month and his newfound appreciation for the Whopper sandwich.

In this Turfgrass Hotline Transition Zone Edition, Frank Rossi chats with Dr. Lee Miller of the University of Missouri about cool weather issues on zoysiagrass, Pythium root rot, and dollar spot pressure. Recorded June 16, 2020.  

In this episode of the Turfgrass Hotline Pacific Northwest, Frank Rossi chats with the newly minted Dr. Clint Mattox of Oregon State University. Among the overall growing season update, topics include the always present microdochium patch, yellow patch, anthracnose, Poa annua, fine fescue and cultivation research from the lone research center in the PNW! Recorded June 16, 2020.

In this episode of Rockbottum Radio, RW changes things up and leads off with Storytime, telling about the time he led a protest movement to overthrow a high school cafeteria. Then, as Anti-Golf occupies Rockbottum CC, turning it into a free "People's Park", chaos is averted as Ludell defuses the situation with a brilliant strategy that involves golf, mushrooms and common sense. RW explains his solution for fixin' all this turmoil, in the midst of a big manhunt for Cletus, who supposedly made off with Romina Satchel's unmentionables. Presented by DryJect.

In this first episode of the (Northeast US Edition) Turfgrass Hotline for 2020, Frank Rossi chats with Rich Buckley, Director of the Diagnostic Clinic at Rutgers University. Rich and Frank discuss the impact of early growth regulation in response to the Covid-19 pandemic on plant stress and pathogens. Snippets on Pythium root rot, annual bluegrass weevil larval damage and using predictive models for dollar spot management programs that are less reliant on fungicides. Rich and Frank cover a lot of ground in less than 15 min! Recorded June 8, 2020. Presented by DryJect, Intelligro/Civitas, and Plant Food Company

The current pandemic has invigorated public interest in being out in green space and golfers anxious to get back out and play. In this episode of Frankly Speaking, Frank Rossi and Parker Anderson of Greener Golf explore the science behind our desire for being on the golf course, the conflict with the public regarding community use of the space, and returning to golf. He has a mindfulness chat with Paul MacCormack as things begin to open up, and a new book review segment with Chris Tritabaugh chatting about Minnesota native Thomas Friedman’s Thank You for Being Late. Presented by DryJect,Civitas and Plant Food Company.

In this episode of Rockbottum Radio, direct from deep in the TurfNet Zone, Willy preaches the power of positive energy in the face of the negative vibrations emanating from... well, just about everywhere these days. Multi-tasking while preaching, Willy also must deal with troublesome golfers, weakening infrastructure, another Mushroom Burger Day, and allegations of poison on the Food and Beer cart. During the hallucinogenic bliss of Shroom Burger Day, the truth behind what happened to Hector is accidentally revealed. Willy shares tips to help us endure an economic adjustment with a positive outlook, and then unleashes one of the great Storytime features, "Uncle Whip and the Packard". Presented by DryJect.

In this episode of the TurfNet Renovation Report, host Anthony Pioppi chats with Dean Sparks, golf course superintendent at Davenport (IA) Country Club about the ongoing improvements being performed in-house under the annual guidance of architects Ron Forse and Jim Nagle. Presented by Golf Preservations and The Andersons.

In this first episode of Frankly Speaking for 2020, Frank Rossi chats with Jim Koppenhaver (Pellucid Consulting), Stuart Lindsay (Edgehill Golf Advisors), Jamie Robb (superintendent at Marine Drive Golf Club, N Vancouver, BC), and Craig Cochran (supt at Van Patten Golf Club, Albany-area, NY) about the impact of COVID-19 now and moving forward on the golf economy, the game and golf course operations from the dining room to putting surfaces. Presented by DryJect and Intelligro/Civitas Turf Defense.

In this episode, Randy explains why Rockbottum Radio is more like an Old Timey radio show from 1940 than a modern podcast with serious interview segments. It's entertainment with a goofy perspective and an occasional subliminal message. The job of the golf course superintendent has gotten more serious over the years, and sometimes it helps to have a more relaxed if even twisted view of this industry. You know, with a few laughs... now more than ever. Among the shenigans going on at Rockbottum CC, the closed course gets slammed with golfers, setting a record for play, forcing them to figure out a way to charge money while maintaining social distance distance. Boof gets electrocuted by his wife, Momma has to use her drones to maintain order on the course and they have to refuse to accept hundert dollar bills because they have some kind of chip in them. In Storytime, Willy tells another of those stories from '72 that probably should have remained in the vault, but has an important message in there somewhere.