A West African tribal chief is wearing two hats. Aside from his position of royalty, he is working as a landscaper in British Columbia.

More people are turning their lawns into something more unusual with a naturalization movement.

EVER noticed how the beer commercials on TV always make things look so bright and rosy?

Every year around this time, the people who get paid to make the rest of us feel bad publish the results of international educational studies showing that, compared to kids living in China and Hong Kong and places I can’t even begin to spell, let alone find on a map (like Ulan Bator, for instance), our children are…well…dumb asses.

Herman Ciardullo, president of Oakridge Landscaping in Hamilton, Ont., was absolutely clear about his reasons for switching to a new tire supplier for his skid steer fleet.

Those who invest in their backyards, either by hiring a landscape contractor to design and build special features or to have their lawn pristinely maintained, or who simply wish to spend more time outdoors, want to enjoy the fresh air and tranquility of their surroundings without having to be driven indoors by pesky insects.

For the first time in its history, Sports Turf Canada (formerly the Sports Turf Association) has a president from outside Ontario.

The June issue of our publication has a decided slant toward sports turf, with no less than three stories devoted to that sector of the industry.

By David McPherson When we connect, Adam Zubek is finishing his last fortnight at Mississaugua Golf & Country Club, wrapping up a few loose ends before he tackles the next step in his career journey.

It's that time of year again. The time of year when grown men have to clench their jaws to keep from weeping. When shrieks of horror are heard from bedrooms across the nation when we—male and female alike—jam ourselves into last year’s bathing suit and stand, in our glory, before the full-length mirror in our bedrooms.

IN a small community like Parry Sound, Ont., the airport is more than just a transportation terminal. As general manager of Parry Sound Municipal Airport, it’s Neil Pirie’s job to keep the facility “open for business” for a wide range of activities and enterprises.

ALTHOUGH golf course superintendents are largely able to keep dollar spot under control through the first few months of a season, the disease traditionally makes an aggressive comeback in the early fall.

By Julia Webber The spring has brought many problems for pond owners this year with an abundance of algae and other problems quickly getting ahead of us. 

Not even seven years ago, Greg Lampman was an employee of the Ford Motor Company in Oakville, Ont. Two months ago, he was named by Sports Turf Canada as its sports turf manager of the year.

A member of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society has expressed his thoughts in dealing with annual bluegrass in a column published in the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix newspaper.

Plant pathologist Dr. Joe Vargas of Michigan State University has been inducted into the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame for his achievements in research that have led to better playing conditions on golf courses. He has made many trips to Canada over the years, speaking to assemblies of golf superintendents and making personal visits to golf courses.

By Ryan Beauchamp The largest operational expenditure for a turf manager, outside of labour, of course, is the products applied through a turf sprayer. This includes fertilizers, surfactants and plant protectants.

FOLLOWING two brutally-cold, snow-packed winters in Ontario and other parts of Canada, the winter of 2015-16 was relatively mild by comparison. Nevertheless, golf course superintendents continue to reflect on the winters which preceded this past season and particularly that of 2013-14.

Tall fescue appears to be resistant to chafer beetles, according to a Vancouver Sun story.

GOLF clubs may have been using the same fertility programs for several years—and perhaps they have been working fine—but it’s good sometimes to step back and look at how things have been done and ponder if maybe there is a better way.

PERHAPS the most dangerous expression in the turfgrass industry is, “We’ve always done it this way.” Agronomist John Bladon, a principal with The Chimera Group, speaking at the Ontario Turfgrass Symposium in February at the University of Guelph, said turfgrass professionals need to think hard about the adage and its implications.

By Myron Love For Larry Gilhuly, strong turf maintenance standards are the key to building a solid foundation for all golf courses. Speaking at the annual Manitoba Golf Superintendents Association annual general meeting in November, Gilhuly noted that clear maintenance standards are the best tool that any private golf club could have, yet very few golf clubs have such standards in place.

A recent letter to the editor of the Guelph Mercury Tribune takes to task plans to relocate the Guelph Turfgrass Institute to the University of Guelph's Arboretum. 

A recent letter to the editor of the Guelph Mercury Tribune takes to task plans to relocate the Guelph Turfgrass Institute to the University of Guelph's Arboretum. 

A guide to British Columbia's new IPM regulations is now available for reading.

The public comment period for discussion of the re-evaluation of Chlorothalonil has been extended until June 10. Comments should be emailed to

In spite of some controversy surrounding the removal of trees to accommodate the new Guelph Turfgrass Institute, site preparations have moved ahead.

The former curator of the University of Guelph's Arboretum says the plan to incorporate the city's Turfgrass Institute will destroy animal and bird habitat with the elimination of hundreds of trees.

There have been endless examples over the years, decades and even centuries of “man playing God.” Whether it’s cloning sheep, surgically converting a man into a woman or vice versa, aborting pregnancies or genetically modifying organisms to help feed the world, there has and always will be controversy surrounding such practices.

A misunderstanding of the facts associated with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and organically-grown foods has led to further attacks against science and chemical pest control products.

Health Canada has proposed the cancellation of the registration of iprodione, a fungicide which delivers fast-acting, long-lasting control of brown patch, dollar spot and other turf diseases.

Golf course superintendent organizations are responding to a recent announcement from the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) which plans to re-evaluate its position on chlorothalonil.

Doing more with less may sound easier said than done, yet it has become the reality in today’s times and we have little choice but to comply with this new standard.

An environmental impact study related to the pending relocation of the Guelph Turfgrass Institute has been proposed.

Land Pride's RS15 & RS20 Series Ripper Shanks are ideal for fracturing compacted hardpan from years of use. The shanks also have applications in commercial landscaping, construction, farms, ranches, and municipal maintenance programs.

Jacobsen, a Textron Inc. company, has launched its new HR800 16-foot-wide rotary mower which weighs nearly 2,000 pounds less than other mowers and is able to mow 20-plus acres per hour, making it ideal for use on sports fields, parks and green spaces, schools, airports, commercial grounds and golf courses.

The innovative GeoLink™ system will be available for the Toro® Multi Pro® 5800 initially, with plans to offer it for a broader range of Toro sprayers in the future. Toro has partnered with Topcon Positioning Systems, a world leader in precision measurement and positioning systems, to provide the all-new GPS spraying solution. In an effort to maximize accuracy, the system will be available in both Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) or Real Time Kinematic (RTK) correction system configurations. Using the RTK system, the new GPS sprayer from Toro is accurate and repeatable to within one centimetre of set parameters.

Now available, the new John Deere 9009A TerrainCut™ Rough Mower is the latest addition to John Deere’s A Model family of fairway, rough and trim & surrounds mowers. Until now, using a larger deck mower in the rough meant compromising the quality of the cut. With the 9009A, turf managers can now maximize both productivity and cut quality, while having more control over how the machine performs on the course.

Jacobsen, a Textron company, has launched its new HR700™ wide-area rotary mower. Featuring an industry-first, 14-foot wide cutting width, the HR700 has the ability to cut up to 25 per cent more grass than traditional 11-foot rotary mowers.

Toro has launched its new Workman® GTX utility vehicle, one of the most versatile grounds and turf crossover vehicles in its class. Combining superior comfort, control and versatility, the Workman GTX provides all the features to help tackle a multitude of tasks on and around the golf course.

The Toro Company has made a number of innovations to their reel cutting systems to increase overall performance, reduce maintenance and to continue to provide an outstanding quality of cut on greens and fairways.

Makita's new cordless blower has the power to rival many of the industry's top gas-powered blowers.

In keeping with the green colour associated with John Deere, Progressive Turf Equipment has responded with a green version of its Pro-Flex 120B contour rough mower.

Makita Canada has added the new DUR364LZ cordless trimmer to its line of outdoor power equipment.

Engage Agro Corporation and Ishihara Sangyo Kaisha (ISK) of Osaka, Japan have announced the approval of a dollar spot control product by Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency.

Phostrol, a turf fungicide aimed at the control of anthracnose on golf courses, sod farms, municipal, industrial and residential turf, has been registered for use in Canada, Engage Agro Corporation has announced.