North Jersey Ornamental Horticulture Symposium - Turf Day

Turf Day 
Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Program Chair: Amy Rowe, County Agent/Associate Professor, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Essex and Passaic Counties

9:00 am – 10:00 am
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for Turfgrass on New Jersey School Grounds
Brad Park, Laboratory Researcher, Rutgers Sport Turf Research and Education
All schools and day care centers in NJ are required to follow state School Integrated Pest Management regulations in both indoor and outdoor settings. Depending on the school/day care center, responsibility for grounds maintenance may be in-house or contracted to outside professional turf and landscape professionals, licensed in category 13. This presentation defines Integrated Pest Management (IPM), describes turf cultural practices to prevent weed, insect and disease problems, monitoring techniques and management techniques that meet the requirements of the School IPM regulations. All of the IPM practices can be applied to turf management on public, commercial and residential properties.

10:00 am – 11:00 am
Understanding Soil Test Recommendations
Dr. James Murphy, Extension Specialist in Turfgrass Management, Rutgers Cooperative Extension 
Turf growing in healthy soils is less susceptible to insect and disease problems. Using the services of a professional soil testing laboratory provides turf professionals with information on the current status of the soil, such as pH and nutrient levels and recommendations for amending the soil for optimum turf growth, without over applying fertilizers. This lecture will describe how to take a soil sample and give examples how to interpret soil test results and recommendations based on reports from the Rutgers Soil Testing Laboratory.

11:00 am – 12:00 pm
NJDEP Pesticide Regulations and Updates 
Spencer Kerkhof, Environmental Specialist 1| Pesticide Compliance and Enforcement

Regulations can be lengthy and confusing. Inspector Spencer Kerkhof speaks to cut through the confusion and provide clarity on even the most misunderstood pesticide compliance issues. Pesticide and PROFACT license requirements for using turf fertilizer products that contain herbicide ingredients will be explained. Learn something new about compliance, notifications, turf postings, required documentation and storage areas whether it’s your 5th or 15th year as an applicator. 

12:00 pm – 1:15 pm LUNCH BREAK 

1:15 pm – 2:15 pm 
Integrated Pest Management Strategies for Non-Grub Turf Insects 
Dr. Albrecht Koppenhöfer, Extension Specialist in Turf Entomology, Rutgers Cooperative Extension 

This one-hour lecture will describe the life cycle of chinch bugs, billbugs, sod webworms, cutworms, armyworms, crane flies and turf damage they cause. Integrated pest management strategies for managing each insect will be explained. The presentation will also include some information about the pros and cons of organic lawn care for insect management.

2:15 pm - 3:15 pm 
Understanding and Managing Classic and Emerging Root Diseases in Cool Season Turfgrass 
Chase Bauberger, Graduate Student, Lab Technician 
Rutgers University Turfgrass Pathology Program 

This one -hour presentation will talk about the biology and management of ectotrophic root-infecting (ERI) fungi that cause devastating diseases such as summer patch and take-all patch in cool-season turfgrasses. Attendees will learn about the latest research on a novel but widespread ERI pathogen in the Northeast. By understanding the biology of ERI fungi, attendees will have a better idea on how to culturally and chemically control these root diseases. 

3:15 pm     Program Evaluation and NJDEP Pesticide Credits

NJ DEP Credits awarded:

CORE - 2 units

3B - 7 units

6B - 2 units

8C - 7 units

10 - 6 units

13 - 2 units

ProFact credits - 2 units