Introducing Turf Tips!

The Turf Team at the University of Arkansas is excited to launch Turf Tips, a new series of quick and practical updates designed to help you address seasonal challenges, emerging pests, weather impacts, and much more! Each Turf Tip is grounded research and field experience, giving you reliable, actionable information to support your turfgrass operation—whether you're managing sports fields, golf courses, home lawns, or anything in between. You can expect a new Turf Tip each month, but additional Turf Tips may be posted throughout the year to address emerging issues.

The Turf Team

Hannah Wright-Smith, Ph.D.

Based out of the state Extension office in Little Rock, Hannah is responsible for delivering science-based information and practical weed management recommendations to turfgrass stakeholders across Arkansas. Her research focuses on herbicide application timing and the evaluation of new herbicides for effective weed control in turfgrass systems. With a strong background in both research and extension, Hannah is passionate about helping turf managers make informed, efficient, and sustainable decisions.

 

Wendell Hutchens, Ph.D.

Wendell’s main area of expertise is turfgrass pathology. His research is centered around how to maintain healthy turfgrass and combat turfgrass diseases with traditional cultural and chemical practices as well as with cutting-edge new technology such as drones and GPS-guided sprayers. He is also interested in general management strategies to mitigate abiotic stress to cool- and warm-season turfgrasses. This includes management practices to reduce winter injury to warm-season grasses, proper application methods for plant growth regulators and demethylase inhibiting fungicides, and planting drought-tolerant native grasses as lawn alternatives. 

 

Mike Richardson, Ph.D.

Mike has been a faculty member in the Department of Horticulture at the University of Arkansas since 1998, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in turfgrass management and conducts research on cultural practices that impact cool- and warm-season turfgrass production in transition zone environments. Mike’s research focuses on evaluating minimum light requirements of turfgrass, winter protection of warm-season putting greens, and wetting agent applications on greens.