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Happy winter greetings to all ourmembers. The snowy season is noteveryone's favourite, but it comeswithout fail year after year, and

here in Canada we sure need to make thebest of it! There are lots of activities tofill our winter time. Sitting by a log firereading a book quickly comes to mind,but perhaps 'professional happenings' aremore relevant here. The big event inOntario this winter is the OntarioTurfgrass Symposium (OTS) which willbe held February 21 and 22 at theUniversity of Guelph.

ANDREW GAYDON

A detailed brochure is enclosed withthis newsletter. The theme Back to OurRoots is relevant because the symposiumis returning to the campus of theUniversity of Guelph and focusing oneducation for all industry sectors: sportsturf management, golf, lawn care and sodproduction. The excellent program willallow for continuing accreditation creditsfor golf courses and parks.

The STAAnnual General Meeting willbe held at the symposium in the OACBoardroom in Johnston Hall at 3:30 p.m.on February 22. We invite you all to joinus for a great opportunity to meet otherSTA members and enjoy a wine andcheese social. Also at the AGM, the Boardof Directors will be voted in for the year2005. Any members wishing to stand fornomination for the Board, please put yourname forward. We encourage andwelcome new people.

As this is the last issue of the SportsTurf Manager for this year, I would liketo thank all contributing authors, theeditorial committee and of course ouradvertisers. Many thanks to Lee Huether,our Executive Director, for ensuring thatthe Directors and the Association are allrunning smoothly resulting in a proactiveorganizati on.

The Board of Directors would like towish all its members and their families andfriends a very happy and relaxingChristmas .•

OTS 2005: Back to Our RootsFebruary 21 & 22, 2005, University of Guelph

Three Ways to Save...1. Early Bird Registration Date: December 22, 2004.

2. Association Discount. As an STA member in good standing you qualify forlower association rates.

3. Group Discount. Others from your facility/organization who are not STAmembers qualify for the lower association rates when registered with amember. Send the registration in the same envelope, fax it at the same time, ormake just one phone call to register. Visit www.open.uoguelph.ca/ots for details ...

www.sportslurfossociolion.comIWINTER 2004 3

News from the Guelph Turfgross InstitutePROVIDE AN INVALUABLE LEARNING OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS

Associate Diploma in TurfgrassManagement Program Applications

Application to the Associate Diplomain Turfgrass Management program is duein early January. Application is madethrough the Ontario Universities Appli-cation Centre website at www.ouac.on.ca.An additional requirement is completionof a Supplementary Information Form thatcan be found at the program's websitewww.oac.uoguelph.ca/learning/learn_dip2003tlm.asp. If you arepersonally interested or have staff or highschool students who are consideringapplying for the program, please be awareof these important deadlines. For moreinformation, contact Rob Witherspoon atrobwith@uoguelph.ca, 519-824-4120 ext.56886.

Diploma Student InternshipsOur experience from last year is that

many diploma students make arrange-ments for their summer internships overthe Christmas break. We are trying toencourage students to seek internship

Turf Managers' Short CourseAlumni Banquet

In conjunction with the return of theOntario Turfgrass Symposium to thecampus of the University of Guelph, anAlumni Banquet for participants in thepopular Turf Managers' Short Courseis planned for Sunday, February 20,2005 at The Cutten Club here inGuelph. Anyone who has taken thecourse since it was first offered is invited

opportunities further afield although theappeal of home cooking and cheap roomand board can be difficult to overcome. Ifyou are interested in having an intern workand learn with you this summer please letus know as soon as possible so that wecan make students aware of the diversityof opportunities that exist. I will bemeeting with first-year students onThursday, December 2nd to discuss theinternship program in detail. I hope toprovide the students with a list of potentialinternship opportunities at that time. Formore information, contact RobWitherspoon at 519-824-4120 ext. 56886,robwith@uoguelph.ca .

to attend. Pastand present instructorswill be in attendance as well. Since theprogram has been running for over 30years, someof our address records maybe a little out of date. If you attendedthe courseand would like to participatein the reunion dinner, please contactRob Witherspoon, 519-824-4120 ext56886, robwith@uoguelph.ca, and hewill insure that you receive all therequired information. We will try togroup classyears by table so you havean opportunity to visit and reminisce. Itshould be a fun evening!

THE GREAT CANADIAN WEATHER QUIZ ..•

Which region is Canada's lightning capital, logging more than 50 thunderstormhours each year? a) British Columbia's lower mainland, b) Prairies, c) AtlanticCanada, or d) extreme southwestern Ontario.

4 WINTER 2004 I Sports TurfManager

Should Calcium be Used on Ontario Soils?PAM CHARBONNEAU, OMAF TURFGRASS SPECIALIST, INVESTIGATES AND REPORTS ON RECENT STUDIES

any fertilizer suppliers to theindustry are recommendingthe addition of calcium to turf.This practice has beenadopted by some golf course

superintendents in the province. This begsthe question - should calcium be used onOntario soils? I am going to try to answerthat question by looking at the role ofcalcium in the turfgrass plant, the role ofcalcium in the soil and report on someresearch findings on adding calcium toturf.

Role of Calcium in the Turfgrass PlantThere are 17 elements that are essential

for plant nutrition in relatively largeamounts. These are classified as plantmacronutrients and are found in the plantdry matter in concentrations of at least1,000 ppm. They are: carbon, hydrogen,oxygen, nitrogen, potassium, calcium,magnesium and sulfur. Calcium ranks

third after nitrogen and potassium inabundance in the turfgrass plant. Calciumplays an important role in cell wallformation, cell division and cell growth.Calcium deficiencies may occur in lowpH, sandy soils. Turf leaves turn reddishbrown. These symptoms have only beenable to be demonstrated by usinghydroponic solutions in a laboratorysituation. Deficiency symptoms are veryrare in the field. Sufficiency ranges fortissue nutrient content for calcium inturfgrasses is 0.5-1.3%. Sufficiency rangesfor the major nutrients can be found inTable 1.

Role of Calcium in SoilCalcium is a positively charged element

that occurs in the soil. Soil particles arenegatively charged. These negative andpositive charged elements work likemagnets and are attracted to each other.The negatively charged ions in the soil

hold on to the cations so that they can beexchanged with cations in the root systemand be taken up by the plant. The abilityof the soil to attract these cations is calledthe cation exchange capacity (CEC) andit is measured in miUiequivalents per 100grams of soil. The CEC ...

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Table 1. Sufficiency ranges for tissuenutrient content of turfgrasses.

Element Content

Nitrogen 2.8 - 3.5%Phosphorous 0.3 - 0.6%Potassium 1.0 - 2.5%Calcium 0.5 - 1.3%Magnesium 0.2 - 0.6%Sulfur 0.2 -0.5%

has an impact on how fertilization isconducted. A low CEC soil may needrepeated applications of moderate levelsof fertilizer. A soil high in CEC can havelarger amounts of fertilizer applied lessfrequently.

The second role of calcium is its rolein soil pH. The pH is a measure of thehydrogen cations in the soil solution andon the cation exchange sites in the soil.Soil pH ranges from 3-11 with 7 beingneutral. Soils with a pH below 7 arecategorized as acidic and above 7 are

alkaline. The pH of the soil has an effecton the availability of plant nutrients. Somenutrients are more available at high pHsand some are more available at a low pH.The optimum range of soil pH for mostturfgrasses is between 5.5 and 7.

If a soil pH is low, calcium in the formof lime can be added to the soil to raisethe soil pH. This should not be done unlessa soil test has been performed and hasindicated the need for lime. The standardform of lime is calcium carbonate(CaC03). If too much lime is added to asoil, the pH of the soil may be increasedto a range that is too high for proper plantgrowth. Lime can burn turfgrass plants.This is especially true when lime is appliedduring hot weather. It is also verydifficult to get lime into the rootzoneof mature turf. The best time to add limeto adjust pH is at the time of turfestablishment.

Role of Lime in Controlling MossAnother reason that is cited for the

addition of calcium in the form of lime to

soils is to control moss. The addition oflime to soils to control moss is onlyeffective if the soil pH is low. In most casesin Ontario, moss is a result of soilcompaction, poor drainage, overwateringor too much rain, shade, low mowingheight and poor fertility - not because oflow pH soils.

Ontario SoilsWhen glaciers receded from Ontario

10,000 years ago, the materials left behindwere deposited directly by the glaciers,deposited by melt waters running from theretreating glaciers or deposited in thebottom of glacial lakes. These became theparent material of soils in southernOntario. Most of these materials arelimestone based and are neutral to basicin pH and are termed calcareous soils.Because of this, it is rare to find soils inthis part of Ontario that are low in pH andthat would benefit from additional calciumin the form of lime.

There are areas in Ontario where thesoil pH is not alkaline. These include

6 WINTER 2004 I Sports TurfManager

pockets of soil in the Canadian Shield, butthe majority of soils in southwestern andsouth-central Ontario are calcareous.

Fertilizer Company ClaimsBased on this role of calcium in the

plant and in soils, fertilizer suppliers makethe claim that it makes plants stronger andmore resistant to wear, neutralizes soilacidity, improves activity of favourablesoil bacteria, promotes root development,improves soil structure, improves theefficiency and availability of fertilizer,reduces phosphate fixation and increaseswater penetration and water holdingcapacity. Some of these statements aretrue, but only in very specific situationsor circumstances, and they should not beused as generalizations for the benefits ofcalcium.

Calcium Fertilization ResearchResearchers at the University of Iowa,

Nick Christians and Rodney St. John,conducted trials on calcareous-based sandgreens. Their research was to determinethe benefits or detriments of applyingsupplemental calcium to turfgrassestablished on calcareous sand. Theywanted to know whether additionalcalcium increases the amount of calciumabsorbed by the grass plant, whether itincreases clipping yield and quality andif it affects the availability of othernutrients to the plant.

A greenhouse study looked at addingadditional calcium to Kentucky bluegrassand creeping bentgrass grown incalcareous sand. The additional calciumtreatments consisted of calcium sulphate,calcium carbonate, calcium nitrate and achelated calcium. The calcium, regardlessof the source, was incorporated into thegrowing medium at a rate of 4.7 lbs ofcalcium per 1,000 sq. ft.

A two-year field study on creepingbentgrass established on a calcareous sandputting green also received 4.7 lbs. ofcalcium per 1,000 sq. ft. applied as fiveseparate monthly applications.

In both the greenhouse and fieldstudies, the additional calcium did notincrease the growth, colour or leaf calciumcontent of the grasses established on thecalcareous sands. In the greenhouse study,the additional calcium reduced the leaf

magnesium content by 15% and by 11%in the field trial. In the field studies, thecalcium carbonate and calcium nitratetreatments reduced the soil extractablepotash levels and the calcium sulphate,calcium nitrate and calcium chelatereduced the amount of soil extractablemagnesium. Over time, with continuousadditions of calcium, both magnesium andpotash could become deficient in the soilleading to deficiencies in the turfgrassplant. The greenhouse study did show thatcreeping bentgrass had nearly twice theamount of calcium in the leaf tissue as didKentucky bluegrass and none of thetreatments increased the tissue calciumlevels in either species.

So the claims that additional calciumincreases resistance to wear can only betrue if the added calcium is taken up bythe turfgrass plant. This researchdemonstrates that it is not. As far as theaddition of calcium increasing theavailability and efficiency of fertilizers, thecalcium actually made the magnesium andpotash less available.

The take home message from thisresearch is that supplemental applicationsof calcium did not increase clipping yield,leaf calcium content or turf quality andthat the addition of calcium could limitthe availabili ty of magnesium and potashto the plant when applied to calcareoussand. •

Literature CitedAnonymous. 1998. Soil Fertility Hand-book. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture andFood. p. 72-74.

Christians, N.E. 1998. Fundamentals ofTurfgrass Management. p. 106-109. AnnArbor Press, MI.

St. John, R.A. and N.E. Christians. 2002.Turfgrass root zones. Golf CourseManagement 70:97-100.

Turner, T.R. and Hummel, N.W. Jr. 1992.Nutritional Requirements and Ferti-lization. p. 416-4]7. In: D.Y. Waddington,R.N. Carrow and R.c. Shearman (eds.)Turfgrass Agronomy Monographs No. 32.CSSA, Madison, WI.

- Green is Beautiful, October, 2004

www.sportslurfassocialion.comIWINTER 2004 7

To Test or Not to Test - That is the "Compost" QuestionlR.W. SHEARD, P.AG. CONCLUDES THE COST OF ANALYSIS IS WELL WORTH THE ADDED QUALITY ASSURANCE

rban waste disposal systems aresteadily moving toward thecomposting of all organicmaterials rather than placingthem in a land fill site. Uses for

this material in the landscape industry areincreasing as more material becomesavailable.

In a recent article in the Sports TurfManager (Winter 2003), Pam Charbon-neau reviewed the role of compost insports field management. Research at theGuelph Turfgrass Institute has shown asuppressing effect on pink and grey snowmould, two of the few diseases whichaffect sports turf. An additional benefitCharbonneau observed was improvedspring green-up.

The use of compost has a majorproblem - inconsistency in quality. Verydiverse analysis is common, primarily theresult of the wide range of material whichis compos ted and variations in thecomposting process used.

This article summarizes a recentincident where a parks department wasmisled by a compost supply company.Several hundred tonnes of the materialwere purchased to use in their organic-based management program. In the fall of2003, during the evaluation of some fieldsfor the parks department, we observed aheavy application of the material.Examination of the black "compost"suggested a significant mineral content.Permission was obtained for furtherexamination of the material. Someyellowing was observed of the grass leaveswhere the material had been appliedseveral days previously.

Initial analysis of the material was donein conjunction with a number of othersamples testing for routine fertility andparticle size of the mineral fraction. Thisanalysis showed two surprising results.The potassium level was 1,280, four timesa normal very high reading. The particlesize distribution analysis revealed 74.9%sand, 14.6% silt and 10.7% clay. The verypronounced gritty feel of the material

8 WINTER 2004 I Sports Turf Manager

prompted a third analysis (a sep-aratelaboratory test) for total organic matter.This analysis revealed the "compost"contained only 10.5% organic matter. Thematerial was, in fact, classed as a highorganic, fine sandy loam. The sandfraction was made up of 61.3% fine andvery fine sandy loam which whencombined with the 14.6% silt would makethe material a very inferior top dressingmaterial, contributing to, rather thanalleviating any compaction or infiltrationproblems.

The source of the high potassium is notknown. Any relationship between theobserved yellowing and the potassium testis pure conjecture. It was a red flag,however, that something was wrong withthis "compost." The material used toimpart the black colour and raise theorganic level to 10.5% may contain othercontaminants, not included in the analysis,which were causing the yellowing of thegrass leaves.

Due to the lack of any regulationsstipulating what is compost and the highvariability in materials, it is stronglysuggested that some certificate of analysisbe provided by the supplier before acontract to purchase is made. The basicinformation should state percent organicmatter, particle size distribution androutine fertility analysis. The analysisshould be done by one of the labs accred-

ited by the Ontario Ministry of Agricultureand Food (see box below).

The cost of the analysis conducted onthe "compost" was $70. This is a smallprice to pay for the assurance that thematerial is in fact compost. Due to the lackof quality control on compost it might bewise for the purchaser to suggest thatsamples will be taken from random loadsas they are delivered for verification of theanalysis on which the purchase was made .•

Safety Makes Cents:Summary of Presentation Given at the Recent STAAnnual Field DayTERRYMURPHY, MANAGER, EDUCATION, TRAINING AND SAFETY, LANDSCAPE ONTARIO

o one wants an accident tohappen. They can cause personalinjury, pain and suffering;thoroughly disrupt a person'slife; result in property and

equipment damage; and create major costand profit implications to an organization.They are a major cost to society in general- especially considering all accidents canbe prevented.

One person dies each week in Ontariofrom a workplace accident. There are300,000 major accidents in our provinceeach year resulting in at least oneamputation a day from such incidents.These accidents can be prevented. We havethe power to reduce and eliminate them.It is not easy but it can be done. We needto take the time to make it happen!

Governments are tired of companiesneglecting their obligations under theprovincial Occupational Health and Safetylegislation to have safety processes inplace within their businesses. Firms aretired of paying large premiums to fundaccident costs. In Ontario, 10% ofcompanies cause the majority of accidents.Do you realize that the good companies,the ones who have safety policies in placeand who train and care about safety, arepaying for the bad ones, that couldn't careless about safety and accident prevention?That's why your rates are so high!Recently the Government of Canadapassed a federal law, Bill CA5, whichmakes safety violations from these bad

companies a criminal offence that isprosecutable in a court of law under theCriminal Code. The police can nowinvestigate accidents and lay charges. Thiscan result in large personal fines and yearsin jail for those convicted.

How can we be better at managingsafety? In the landscape industry, Land-scape Ontario has been leading the chargein this important area. Landscape firms arenot only making themselves safe, but theyare making money doing so.

For the last five years, LandscapeOntario has been a safety sponsor for theWorkplace Safety and Insurance Board(WSIB) programs, Safety Groups andSafe Communities Incentive Plan (SCIP).Both programs rebate companies 5%annually on their pre-miums for asuccessful completion. The last two yearshave seen over 175 firms receive $1,000each. This also drives down the industrygroup rate. Companies are being paid todevelop a "safe culture" which is whatthey need to do to avoid convictions underBill C-45. It is a win-win for everyone.Statistics show that groups of companiesworking in these programs are operatingmore safely than others not in such a safetygroup.

During the last six years, the landscapeindustry has reduced their WSIB industrypremium rate in rate group 190 from9.11 % to a projected 4.69% in 2005 per$100 of wages. This is a 50% reductionover seven years which will save the

industry over $10 million each and everyyear. The Ministry of Labour hasannounced that they will add another 200inspectors to zero in on the 2% of badfirms that cause the large number ofaccidents. This is good news for thosecompanies who are striving to developsafety cultures and reduce accidents. It isalso a very good reason for all companiesto consider joining the Landscape Ontariosponsored safety programs. Most of thetraining takes place in the winter duringthe off season.

To conclude, safety makes cents! Infact, safety management makes bothdollars and sense! Contact Terry Murphyat Landscape Ontario, 1-800-265-5656 x .317 for further information on thelandscape industry WSIB programs, anysafety issue or about this article. •

Box 171Harriston, OntarioNOG 1Z0Phone (519) 338-3840Fax (519) 338-2510

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What is your role?As a Park Manager, I am directlyresponsible for the day-to-day operationsfor our parks and open spaces. Along withone other Park Manager, I develop andmonitor the annual operation budget,contribute to the long term direction forthe department, provide quality customerservice when dealing with public inquiriesand participate actively as a member ofthe Director's team in consultation with

Park Planners and Community Dev-elopment Workers.

What kind of team do you work with?Along with the other Park Manager, wedirectly supervise 5 lead hands with 13full time staff year round with anadditional 5 full time employees thattransfer from arenas in the summer andabout 60-70 temporary seasonalemployees. I report directly to the Directorof Parks and often collaborate with thePark Planners and the Community Dev-elopment Workers. I also serve on severalcorporate committees and take part inmany city-wide corporate initiatives.

What are you and your teamresponsible for?We are responsible for all aspects ofoperations for the City's parks and openspaces. This includes, but is not always

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limited to: turf maintenance on Cityowned properties, sports fields, playstructures, garbage collection in parks,horticulture, special events, Farmer'sMarket, winter control in parks andfacilities, trails, splash pads, amusementrides, washrooms, outdoor natural icerinks, and greenhouse activities, to namea few.

What is your biggest challenge?Trying to balance stakeholders and thepublic's varied wants and needs with ashrinking budget and increased inventoryto manage.

What is the most satisfying part, whatmakes the job worthwhile for you?Guelph is my hometown. I was born here,raised here, educated here and now workhere. It has been interesting to see this Citygo through growing pains and it's nice tothink that in some small way I cancontribute to the development of myhometown. One of my first assignmentswhen I came to work for the City was todesign and supervise construction of asmall park on an old industrial site. Thepark is now completed and knowing thatthat park will most likely be there forpeople to enjoy long after I'm gone ispretty cool! Also, I have always felt whatmakes a job worthwhile are the people youwork with, and I am fortunate to workwithin a team of dedicated talentedprofessionals who truly take pride in theirwork and cultivate an enjoyable workenvironment.

What is the biggest misconceptionabout your job?It seems that people think any request theymake can be easily accommodated and

10 WINTER 2004 I Sports Turf Manager