Glossary of Golf Turfgrass Terms (M-O)
M
macronutrient - Essential elements required in larger amounts for plant growth (e.g. nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen).
matting - Working topdressing or other materials into a turfgrass area with drag mats, usually made of fiber, rubber, or metal.
microclimate - The climate of a small, distinct area such as a golf hole, green site, etc.
microenvironment - The area in the immediate vicinity of the turfgrass plant from the surface to the depth of HTMLContent penetration into the soil.
micronutrient - Essential elements required in small amounts for turfgrass growth (e.g. iron, manganese, zinc, copper, molybdenum, boron, and chlorine).
microorganisms - Small organisms, such as bacteria and other minute entities, invisible to the unaided eye.
mildew - A plant disease in which the causal fungus forms a coating over the surface of the plant parts. The coating, which is mycelial growth, is usually thin and white. There are two types of mildew - downy and powdery.
mixture, seed - A combination of seeds of two or more turfgrass species.
mold - Any fungus that produces a superficial, often wooly growth on various types of organic matter, or the growth itself.
muck- Well decomposed organic soil. Contains more silt and clay (mineral) than peat.
mulch - A material such as straw, netting, geotextile cover, burlap, etc., spread over seeded or stolonized areas to protect them from erosion, moisture loss, temperature extremes, and to enhance germination and growth.
mycelium - The vegetative body of a fungus.
N
native grasses - Grasses that are indigenous or which occur naturally in a particular region.
nematicide - A chemical agent used to kill or suppress nematodes.
nematode - Small, round worms, usually microscopic and colorless, that live in moist soil, water, or in decaying or living organic matter. Plant parasitic forms puncture plant tissues by means of a stylet and live by sucking the juice of the plant.
nitrification - Biological conversion of ammonium into nitrates in soils by soil organisms.
nitrogen carriers - Fertilizers containing the element nitrogen.
node - The joint of a grass stem from which leaves and buds arise.
noxious weeds - Weeds categorized by law as objectionable in a seed lot for commercial sale.
nursery - An area set aside for testing new turfgrass cultivars and chemicals and for growing replacement turf primarily for putting greens and tees.
nutrients, plant - The elements taken in by the plant essential to its growth.
O
organic fertilizer - Fertilizers containing carbon and hydrogen.
organic, natural - Fertilizers derived from naturally-occurring, complex organic compounds not readily soluble in water.
organic, synthetic - Man-made organic fertilizers such as urea, IBDU, urea formaldehyde. All slow release nitrogen except urea.
organic matter - Material derived from plant or animal source. Often added to topdressing soil mixtures to give added water and nutrient holding capacity to the soil.
organic soil - A general term used in reference to any soil, the solid part of which is at least 20 percent organic matter.
overseed - To sow seed over an area that is sparsely covered with some kind of vegetation or to plant a winter turf of a cool season species within a dormant warm season turf.