Turf is a major component of our collective landscape, and properly maintained turf provides many functional, recreational, and ornamental benefits. The goal of each responsible turf practitioner should be to produce surfaces that meet functional and aesthetic expectations while at the same time minimizing the impact of management practices on human health, natural resources, and the greater environment. Furthermore, whether the setting is residential, municipal, or commercial these goals must be accomplished with a keen eye to efficiency and economic viability. Green School's Turf Management Track seeks to address these concerns and to also convey a strong framework of research-based management fundamentals. This track is most appropriate for professionals including landscapers, lawn care personnel, municipal and private groundskeepers and others wishing to receive fundamental, in depth-training on the care of turf in the landscape.
Registration instructions and general program information
Interested in a more in-depth and intensive, 110+ hour, turf management-focused certificate program instead? Take a look at our annual Winter School for Turf Managers
Turf Management Schedule/Curriculum
Daily Schedule: Green School will be held virtually on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons - see the schedule below. Having a computer or other device with reliable internet is a must to take this course.
NOTE: The times in the schedule are in Eastern Standard Time.
October 22 - Required Orientation | ||
| 4:00-5:30 pm | Live via Zoom | Orientation and Technical Check-In Comprehensive course overview and technical troubleshooting session. Includes information on general operating procedures, certificate requirements, note taking, assessment procedures, credit for certification programs and pesticide licenses, and instructor evaluations. |
| First Class Day - Tuesday, October 27, 2026 | ||
| 1:00-4:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Plant Form and Function Mary Owen, UMass Extension (Retired) Learn how plants are structured, how they grow, develop and function, and how they respond to their environment. This session will provide a foundation for a deeper understanding of the topics presented during this course. |
| Wednesday, October 28, 2026 | ||
| 1:00-4:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Soil Basics Dr. Deborah Henson, UMass Department of Environmental Conservation Provides a framework for understanding basic physical and chemical properties of soils and how proper management can improve soil health for better plant growth. |
| Thursday, October 29, 2026 | ||
| 1:00-4:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Soil Health for Turf and Landscapes Dr. Artie Siller and Dr. Sam Glaze-Corcoran, UMass Extension Principles and fundamentals for creating, promoting, and managing the health of the soil, the foundation of every landscape and turf system, with implications for every aspect of management and performance. |
| Tuesday, November 3, 2026 | ||
| 1:00-2:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Turfgrass Morphology Jason Lanier, UMass Extension Form and function of turfgrass plants – the plant parts most relevant to practical management considerations, what they do, how they vary, and why they’re important. |
| 3:00-4:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Turfgrass ID Jason Lanier, UMass Extension Knowing what you have is key to knowing how to manage it. This session will cover identification characteristics and approaches for the cool-season grasses that are most important in the Northeast. |
| Wednesday, November 4, 2026 | ||
| 1:00-2:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Basics of IPM and PHC Tawny Simisky, UMass Extension The principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) form the foundation for understanding and implementing wise management strategies for pests. IPM management techniques assist in reducing pest populations while protecting beneficial organisms and utilize best management practices that are least harmful to humans and the environment. This often includes reducing dependence on chemical pesticides. Plant Health Care (PHC) employs many of the aspects of IPM and is tailored to the green industries. |
| 3:00-4:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Pesticide Considerations for Land Care Professionals Natalia Clifton, UMass Extension The focus of this talk will be the most important pesticide-related considerations for landscape professionals, and will include components of the pesticide label, as well as in-depth coverage of personal protective equipment and the environmental fate of pesticides. |
| Thursday, November 5, 2026 | ||
| 1:00-4:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Turfgrass Adaptation, Management, and Performance Jason Lanier, UMass Extension This introductory class will outline the space that turfgrasses occupy both ecologically and societally. In-depth discussion on how environment, user expectations, management, and performance intersect will be featured. |
| Tuesday, November 10, 2026 | ||
| 1:00-4:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Turfgrass Selection Jason Lanier, UMass Extension The turfgrasses themselves are a primary tool for meeting expectations, therefore selection decisions are among the most important that a turf manager makes. Characteristics of turfgrass species and cultivars along with criteria for selection of grasses for specific uses, growing environments, and management levels will be addressed. |
| Wednesday, November 11, 2026 | ||
| 1:00-4:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Turf Establishment Jason Lanier, UMass Extension The goal of any establishment project is to produce dense, deeply rooted, functional turf that will provide rapid cover and develop to maturity as quickly as possible. This class will outline factors essential for successful establishment of turf including site preparation, seed and sod considerations, installation and post-planting care. |
| Thursday, November 12, 2026 | ||
| 1:00-4:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Turf Nutrition Mary Owen, UMass Extension (retired) This class will cover the fundamentals of turf nutrition and the role of plant nutrients in turfgrass growth and development; the characteristics of nutrient sources; and how to effectively read and use the information on a fertilizer label. |
| Tuesday, November 17, 2026 | ||
| 1:00-4:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Developing a Fertility Program for Turf Mary Owen, UMass Extension (retired) Building on the previous class on 11/12, this discussion will focus on the variables in turf fertility programming and how they can be adjusted to develop or modify programs based on specific site characteristics, turf use and customer expectations. Organic and hybrid systems will be included in the discussion. |
| Wednesday, November 18, 2026 | ||
| 1:00-4:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Basic Plant Pathology Dr. Angela Madeiras, UMass Extension A discussion of the microbiology of plant disease-causing fungi along with references to a few of the many beneficial microbes. Also, a description of the conditions necessary for disease infection and an overview of infectious disease management strategies. |
| Thursday, November 19, 2026 | ||
| 1:00-4:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Principles of Weed Science Randy Prostak, UMass Extension Weeds are the most ubiquitous pests in plant-based systems. This session will feature general principles of weed science, weed management approaches, and weed identification characteristics. |
| Tuesday, November 24, 2026 | ||
| 1:00-4:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Turf Cultural Practices I Jason Lanier, UMass Extension Cultural practices are the foundation of an integrated management system and are crucial to the successful implementation of sustainable, low input management. The fundamentals of mowing, cultivation, and topdressing will be covered, as well as specific approaches for the management of common stress factors such as thatch and soil compaction. |
| Tuesday, December 1, 2026 | ||
| 1:00-4:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Basic Entomology Tawny Simisky, UMass Extension An overview of the characteristics that distinguish insects from their close relatives, identification of orders of insects with pests common to the Northeast, and life strategies common to these groups. Also, a brief look at identifying larval (immature) insects and their development as driven by temperature. Basic entomology will set the stage for the most frequently seen herbivores, while reminding us that the majority of these animals are not pests. |
| Wednesday, December 2, 2026 | ||
| 1:00-4:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Turf Cultural Practices II Jason Lanier, UMass Extension Continued from 11/24. Cultural practices are the foundation of an integrated management system and are crucial to the successful implementation of sustainable, low input management. The fundamentals of mowing, cultivation, and topdressing will be covered, as well as specific approaches for the management of common stress factors such as thatch and soil compaction. |
| Thursday, December 3, 2026 | ||
| 1:00-4:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Pollinator- Friendly Approaches for the Landscape Nicole Bell, UMass Extension Preventing harm to pollinators is an important objective for sustainable landscape management, and pollinator support is a desirable component and feature for many modern landscapes. Learn about what pollinators need, how to provision both floral resources and nesting sites for pollinators, and a basic checklist for bee-friendly landscapes. |
| Tuesday, December 8, 2026 | ||
| 1:00-4:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Turf Irrigation & Water Management Jason Lanier, UMass Extension Water is among our most precious natural resources, and water supplies available for the irrigation of turf are increasingly limited. This session will cover water relations both within the turfgrass plant and within the turf system, as well as management strategies designed to conserve water and protect water quality. |
| Wednesday, December 9, 2026 | ||
| 1:00-4:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Turf Insect Management Dr. Olga Kostromytska, UMass Stockbridge School of Agriculture Biology and identification of turfgrass damaging insects; integrated pest management, including setting tolerance levels; current status of biological control strategies; and ways to minimize reliance on insecticides. |
| Thursday, December 10, 2026 | ||
| 1:00-4:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Diseases of Turfgrass Dr. Angela Madeiras, UMass Extension The biology and identification of the common turf diseases; management strategies stressing Best Management Practices (BMPs) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM); low-input lawns and ecological landscaping as these pertain to disease management; biorational and biological disease control materials. |
| Tuesday, December 15, 2026 | ||
| 1:00-4:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Turf Weed Management Randy Prostak, UMass Extension Control strategies for turf weeds commonly encountered in turf systems. Includes prevention, cultural practices, non-chemical/organic methods and management with herbicides. |
| Wednesday, December 16, 2026 | ||
| 1:00-4:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Turf Management and the Environment Jason Lanier, UMass Extension With informed, attentive, and responsible management, turf areas can be a highly beneficial component of the world in which we all live. In the absence of these tenets, management of turf areas can contribute to negative impacts on the environment and human health. This session will tie in current research-based understanding with information learned throughout the course to emphasize managing turf in a systemic and deliberate manner as an enhancement to our environment. |
| Thursday, December 17, 2026 | ||
| 1:00-2:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Turf and Tree Interactions Dr. Brian Kane, UMass Department of Environmental Conservation Turf maintenance crosses paths with trees perhaps more often than any other plant system. This session will cover interactions between trees and turf, tree care basics for the turf manager, and other important topics including safety and knowing when to consult with a professional arborist. |
| 3:00-4:30 PM | Live class via Zoom | Vector-Borne Diseases: Awareness and Action Stephen Rich, University of Massachusetts Lyme Disease is the most prevalent infectious disease in Massachusetts and is now considered to be a public health crisis. In addition to Lyme, deer ticks can carry the pathogens which cause Babesiosis, Anaplasmosis, Relapsing Fever and Powassan virus, all of which can be very serious. This session will review the basic life cycle and ecology of deer ticks, incidence rates and distribution of tick-borne illnesses. |
For registration instructions and general program information, go to the Green School main page.