The Effect of Sand Type and Application Rate On Turfgrass Quality, Disease Severity, Earthworm Castings, and Soil Physical Properties On Golf Course Fairways.

Fairway topdressing is a cultural practice that requires a significant budget, considerable labor, time, and commitment to implement properly. Sands that meet the United States Golf Association (USGA) specifications for putting green construction are typically recommended for topdressing fairways. However, due to the strict specifications, these sands are prohibitively expensive when considered for use on larger fairway acreage. The objectives of this research were to: 1) Determine whether particle size distribution and/or application rate will affect turfgrass color, turfgrass quality, turfgrass cover, disease incidence and earthworm activity, and 2) Quantify the effects of particle size distribution and topdressing layer depth on moisture retention, soil temperature, and resistance to surface displacement. This experiment was a 3 x 3 (sand type x application rate) factorial arranged in a random complete block design with three replications on L-93 creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera). The first factor, sand type, had three levels: fine, medium, and coarse. The second factor, application rate, had three levels: 0.001 m³ m^-2, 0.002 m³ m^-2, and 0.003 m³ m^-2. A control was included that received no topdressing. Topdressing applications were applied once per month starting in May and ending in November.  Effects from sand topdressing treatments were primarily observed through overall rate responses with higher application rates exhibiting a greater spring greening response, lower dollar spot incidence, less earthworm castings, less moisture retention and higher penetration resistance than lower application rates. Overall sand type effects were observed with moisture retention and penetration resistance. The fine and medium sand treatments held onto water more aggressively than the coarse sand treatments. The fine sand had the greatest resistance to penetration, followed by the medium sand and the coarse sand, respectively.