Grounds Maintenance & Landscape Management Flashcards

When renovating a cool-season athletic field in late summer, which overseeding window typically yields the best germination success?

Answer: Mid-August through September

Mid-August through September offers warm soils for germination while cooling air temperatures favor cool-season grass establishment and reduce heat stress.

A landscape manager observes that plants in a newly installed bed are wilting despite moist soil. The most likely cause is:

Answer: Root rot from overwatering or poor drainage

Wilting in moist soil is a classic sign of root rot caused by anaerobic conditions from overwatering or poor drainage, which prevents root uptake of water.

Which type of mower is typically preferred for maintaining golf course fairways due to its precise, low cutting height and clean cut quality?

Answer: Reel mower

Reel mowers use a scissor-like cutting action that produces a precise, clean cut at very low heights required for fairway and putting surface management.

Under OSHA regulations, what is the minimum slope percentage that requires a grounds worker using a ride-on mower to wear a rollover protection system (ROPS) seatbelt?

Answer: Any slope where equipment could tip

OSHA and equipment manufacturers require ROPS and seatbelt use whenever operating ride-on equipment where rollover risk exists, regardless of a specific slope percentage threshold.

What is the purpose of a 'trigger date' or GDD (growing degree day) model in a pest management program?

Answer: To predict optimal timing for pest control applications based on insect development

GDD models accumulate heat units to predict when pest life stages (egg hatch, larval emergence) occur, allowing precisely timed preventive or curative treatments.

A CGM is reviewing a landscape maintenance contract. Which specification item ensures the contractor is legally responsible for pesticide application compliance?

Answer: A requirement that applicators hold valid state pesticide applicator licenses

State pesticide applicator licenses are legally required under FIFRA and state law, and specifying valid licensure ensures the contractor is authorized and accountable for compliant applications.

Which maintenance practice best controls annual bluegrass (Poa annua) in a cool-season turfgrass stand on a long-term basis?

Answer: Applying a pre-emergent herbicide before soil temperatures reach 50–55°F in fall

Pre-emergent herbicides applied before Poa annua seed germination (when soil temps drop to 50–55°F in fall) are the most effective long-term management strategy.