Tag Archives: Best Management Practices

photo of a closeup of a green apple covered in water droplets with a portion of the stem showing

The NYS School Environmental Health Conference

“Unity is strength. . . when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” –Mattie Stepanek

What: The NYS School Environmental Health Conference is a free learning & networking opportunity for school personnel & related professionals interested in school environmental health

When: October 25, 2022, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm

Where: The Empire State Plaza Convention Center, 279 Madison Avenue, Albany, NY  12242

How: Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nys-school-environmental-health-conference-2022-tickets-338999204747

4 red and black insects on a brick wall

For some pests, your school is their winter getaway

smiling women dressed for autumn in front of a outdoor fall scene

Joellen Lampman, School & Turfgrass IPM Extension Support Specialist

I recently presented at the New York State School Facilities Association Conference & Expo and was asked multiple times, “What can I do about boxelder bugs?”. That provided the opportunity to talk about them and other fall invaders. The good news is that most fall invaders are just looking for a warm place to wait out the cold winter. The bad news is that usually we have had our first frost by now, and the lack of frost is  extending the period of time that intruders are attempting to break into our buildings. But there are still steps we can take to prevent more from coming in.

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The Cornell Turf Show: fastest 30 minutes in turf

Every other Friday, starting on March 12th and ending the second week in May, Cornell Turf Guru, Frank Rossi, will have a guest talking about sports field management. This week, former graduate student, Chris Sitko, will be on to discuss sports field safety and the high demand school districts will be placing on sports field early in the season. Topics and speakers will be updated on the Cornell Turf website, Twitter account, and Facebook page as they are scheduled.There will be a golf focused webinar every Thursday through this time and topics relevant to lawns will alternate with sports fields on Fridays. It’s a good idea to check on the topics for those not specific to sports fields, as there might be something of relevance to you. For example, the webinar series kicks off Thursday, March 11th, with Art Degaetano, Professor in the Cornell Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, who will provide us with a winter weather review.

Can’t make a session live? Similar to last year, the webinars will be recording and posted to YouTube. (You can check out the 2020 webinars here.) We’ll also be posting the audio as podcasts for those who enjoy that medium.

All the webinar information can be found here on our website which will be updated periodically with guests and recordings: https://turf.cals.cornell.edu/news-2/webinars/

Ticks and Schoolyard Edges

The time of the falling leaves has come again. Once more in our morning walk we tread upon carpets of gold and crimson, of brown and bronze, woven by the winds or the rains out of these delicate textures while we slept. – John Burroughs, The Falling Leaves

image of a man in long pants and sleeves, a baseball cap, and ear coverings using a leaf blower. In front of himn leaves are being blown towards the camera.

Leaf blowing leaves is a common practice, but does it cause a risk for more ticks?

A recent study, Artificial Accumulation of Leaf Litter in Forest Edges on Residential Properties via Leaf Blowing Is Associated with Increased Numbers of Host-Seeking Ixodes scapularis Nymphs published in the Journal of Medical Entomology, showed that areas where leaves were raked or blown into forest margins tripled the number of blacklegged tick nymphs compared to areas where leaves were not artificially accumulated. (There was no observed impact on lone star ticks.)

chart showing that 14 ticks were found within the woods, 51 along the wood edge, 12 3 meters into the field,1 found 6 m into the field, and 3 on the technician.

Most ticks were found along the woodland edge.

Combine this with the findings of a Cornell study, Active surveillance of pathogens from ticks collected in New York State suburban parks and schoolyards, and it is clear that woodland edges are the areas of highest risk for students to encounter ticks. Fortunately, most students don’t spend much time in these areas. Unfortunately, students will chase stray balls into these areas when ticks are furthest from their minds.

What can you do to protect students from these tick risky areas? Step one would be to monitor your school grounds for ticks. This low tech monitoring technique can easily be accomplished by a coach, playground monitor, or even students. Knowing that ticks are active can allow for some adjustment of play, like putting up cones to let students know areas are off limits.

Is there an area with consistently high tick activity? Installing fences or netting can prevent stray balls from entering wooded edges. Think of it as reverse exclusion – in this case, we’re keeping the students out of the pest areas.

Keep in mind that blacklegged ticks prefer high humidity, so look to reduce shady and damp areas where students spend time. We can modify parts of the school grounds to make them less hospitable to ticks by:

  • Removing leaf litter from wooded edges in high traffic areas
  • Removing trees shading play areas if monitoring shows those areas have tick activity
  • Replacing wood mulch, which can store moisture, if monitoring shows tick activity,  with a different, drier option
  • Widening trails to reduce the risk of students brushing against vegetation
  • Eradicating invasive plants, such as Japanese barberry, honeysuckle, and multiflora rose, that easily establish along wooded edges, and have been associated with higher concentrations of ticks carrying disease-causing pathogens

For more information on ticks and schools, check out our updated fact sheet Understanding and Managing Ticks – A Guide for Schools, Child Care and Camps. Additional information can be found on our website Don’t Get Ticked NY.

Fertilizer and the Law

A deep, extensive root system helps cool-season grasses build up reserves to get through the winter, green up top growth in spring, and minimize vulnerability to insects, diseases and summer drought. Nutrients released from the soil, grass clippings and late season fertilization (feeding) will promote root growth.Lawn Care: The Easiest Steps to an Attractive Environmental Asset

photo of man wearing shite shirt and tan pants pushing a small fertilizer spreader on a soccer fieldWhy we would talk about fertilizer on an integrated pest management blog? Fertilization helps grow healthy turfgrass. Dense stands outcompete weed seeds. Extensive roots can withstand some insect feeding without impacting turf quality. Proper fertilization provides your grass with the proper nutrients for growth and recovery.

And now is one of the best times for fertilizing sports fields, but it has come to my attention that the legality of fertilizer application is in question. There is a rumor that one needs to be a certified pesticide applicator to apply fertilizer to school grounds. We’ll label that as fake news. Addressed in an earlier blog, some wonder if they are restricted under the Child Safe Playing Fields Act. The answer to that question is no.

But that doesn’t mean that there are no fertilizer rules. Here are the caveats:

  • Combined fertilizer and pesticide products (such as weed and feed) are covered under the Child Safe Playing Fields Act and do need to applied by a certified pesticide applicator.
  • Fertilizer use does fall under the NYS Nutrient Runoff Law, which prohibits:
    • Applying fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium between December 1 and April 1 (Nassau and Suffolk County have their own local laws restricting application dates)
    • Applying fertilizer containing phosphorus unless you are establishing a new lawn or a soil test shows the need for phosphorus
    • Applying fertilizer within 20 feet of a water body
    • Leaving fertilizer on impervious surfaces such as sidewalks, parking lots, or driveways (fertilizer must be swept up, not washed off with water)

So now that we know fertilizer can be applied to school grounds, what is the minimum that should be done now to produce pest resistant turfgrass on fields that are used year round?

illustration of turf growth showing that top growth surges in March through May, declines June through August, and then picks up again in August through September. Roots grow March through May and again September through October.

Fertilizing in the fall encourages more root growth.

  • Fertilizing -Apply 1 pound of 50% water soluble nitrogen per 1,000 sq. ft. in September and ½ pound of 100% water soluble nitrogen in mid-October. Note – if you do not have irrigation, it is worth waiting until the day before rain is predicted to ensure the fertilizer is watered in.
  • Mowing -If the grass is growing, mowing should be conducted at least twice a week. Mowing increases shoot density by increasing tillering (stems that develop from the crown of the parent plant). More tillers means more traction and cushioning.
  • Overseeding -Seed perennial rye at 2 pounds per 1,000 sq. ft. weekly in high-use areas. The athletes’ cleats will make the necessary seed to soil contact. This year’s drought makes this practice tricky. If you can borrow irrigation equipment, do so.

What if I can do more than the minimum?

a bucket filled with mix of soil and turf seed being poured into a bare area on a lawn

A divot mix of seed and soil can help fill in bare spots on the field. Click on the image to view a video on patching weak or bare spots.

  • Fertilizing -Conduct a soil test to see if other nutrients are needed in addition to the nitrogen.
  • Cultivating -Concentrating on high-use areas, solid tine cultivate in multiple directions to maintain infiltration of air and water.
  • Overseeding -Have a mixture of one part seed to ten parts soil available so coaches and players can repair divots left after heavy use.
  • Watering -Maintain adequate soil moisture but keep surfaces dry to maximize traffic tolerance. Irrigate if you can see your foot prints after walking on the turf.

    photo of twitter handle, @Cornell_Turf, Cornel Turf website, turf.cals.cornell.edu, the motto "Stay connected to the source for turfgrass information in the Northeast US

    The official Cornell Turfgrass twitter account will provide you with timely turf care information.

For more information on maintaining safe, functional athletic fields, visit http://safesportsfields.cals.cornell.edu. You will find different maintenance schedules based on number of seasons used and resources available, detailed information on different management practices, and information on “Duty of Care”, a legal obligation to a standard of reasonable care. For the most up-to-date information, follow the Cornell Turfgrass twitter account.