Over 250 golf course superintendents, sports turf managers, professional landscapers, grounds managers, and others interested in management of turf and landscape plantings traveled to the University Park campus on Aug. 6 and 7 to see the latest trends in management and research from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences during Turf and Ornamentals Field Days.

The event took place at the Joseph Valentine Turfgrass Research Center and the Arboretum at Penn State. Participants had the option of attending sessions on management and identification of ornamental plants, or tour turfgrass research plots. The turf portion of the program included a golf session that focused on disease management, turf nutrition, and bentgrass cultivar trials; as well as a sports turf track that covered establishment techniques, warm-season grasses, NFL field assessment, and a field painting demonstration.  The lawn care portion of the program dealt with turf cultivar trials, soil improvement with compost, enhanced efficiency fertilizers, microclover studies, as well turf weed control.

At the end of the day, about 150 participants relaxed at a barbeque at the State College Spikes baseball stadium. Matt Neri and his crew provided equipment for batting practice on Medlar Field.  Penn State Turfgrass Field Days is held every other year, and the next event will be in August of 2016.