Fertilizer Burn Potential and Color Response for 'tifway 419' Bermudagrass Fairway As Affected By N Source and Rate.

‘TifWay 419’ bermudagrass is a popular warm-season turfgrass for both golf courses and sports fields. Proper fertilization is essential to the grass’s optimal health, but incorrect fertilizers, application rates, and application timing can be detrimental to the turf. A field study was initiated at Clemson University utilizing various common granular fertilizers at two nitrogen levels (48.9 and 146.7 kg N ha^-1) to determine the burn potential of the turf under the fertilizer treatments on Tifway 419 bermudagrass fairway. Applications took place when there was heavy dew, and the fertilizer was NOT watered in after the application to maximize burn potential. Parameters studied included burn potential, turf quality, normalized vegetative index, and clipping yield. Burn potential was measured on days 1, 2, 4, 7, and 14. The other parameters were evaluated on a weekly basis. Burn potential data are presented for the selected fertilizers at the 146.7 kg N ha^-1 rate because of their higher tendency to burn. With the exception of Scott’s Turf Builder and CAS 5%/STB at the 146.7 kg N ha^-1 rate, the general trend was for the turf to show fertilizer burn symptoms initially before the turf gradually recovered over several weeks. Both Scott’s Turf Builder and the CAS 5%/STB at the 146.7 kg N ha^-1rate did not recover as quickly as other fertilizer products, and they continued to show significant burn symptoms 14 days after treatment. Initially, the fertilizers that showed the highest burn potential were Scott’s Turf Builder, ammonium sulfate, and CAS 5%/STB.