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Cold Spring Weather Wreak Havoc on Spray Programs
Spring can be a frustrating season for many in the golf industry. Golfers, Club Professionals, GMs, and owners want to escape the winter doldrums and return to their predestine golf courses with firm and fast conditions. Unfortunately, the weather doesn’t always cooperate. The spring of 2022 has been a tough…
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Winterkill Recovery Techniques
There are more reports of turfgrass winterkill from around the US. At first, we thought most of the damage was limited to winter desiccation in the Central Great Plains. Unfortunately, we’ve received reports from coast to coast. Zac Reicher, PhD from Bayer Environmental Science and I hosted a live web-meeting…
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P is for Purple
Last spring, a handful of the research putting green plots at OJ Noer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison were showing some pretty impressive signs of phosphorus deficiency. The OJ Noer research facility gives us the opportunity to push grass to its limits. About ten years ago, Bill and I demonstrated…
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Don’t Let the Tail Wag the Dog
Many factors influence turfgrass growth rate. Some are beyond the manager’s control while others are frequently manipulated through normal management. Environmental factors including the recent weather and soil conditions, turfgrass genetics, traffic levels and even the soil microbiome all have a big impact on growth rate, but are difficulty or…
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Invest in Yourself & Your Staff this Off-Season
Labor shortages continue to be a major threat to the turf management industry. Field managers, golf course superintendents, and LCOs from around the country have struggled to find and retain qualified turfgrass professionals at all levels. Many managers have to increase their labor budget to compete with other industries, while…
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Moving Beyond PGR GDD Intervals
For nearly 15 years, Dr. Doug Soldat and I have been creating growing degree day (GDD) models for plant growth regulators (PGRs) and now DMI fungicides. These sinewave shaped models predict how these routinely applied products affect the relative growth rate of various turfgrass areas. We’ve created models for different…
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Be Careful with Fall Growth Regulation
Fall weather is coming, and that should bring changes to your plant growth regulator applications. For over a decade, we’ve known that PGRs – and even DMI fungicides – produce longer growth suppression during cooler weather. This is why we use growing degree day (GDD) models to predict growth response…
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Application Summary Aids EOP Planning
Early fall can be a stressful time of year for golf course superintendents and field managers. Staffing levels start to decline as students head back to school, the summer stress doesn’t seem to end, and Early Order Programs for pest control products, wetting agents and fertilizers are released. As managers…
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Mixing PGRs can transform your putting greens
Doug Soldat and I have been developing PGR growing degree day (GDD) models since 2008. These models have helped turfgrass managers understand how clipping yield – a.k.a. ClipVol – is affected by a single PGR application. They also provide golf course superintendents, field managers, and even lawn enthusiasts with re-application…
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Soil Organic Matter Models Aid Cultivation Scheduling
Managing soil organic matter (SOM) is a primary concern for turfgrass managers. Unfortunately, changes in SOM through cultivation happen over the course of months and years. This makes it difficult for managers to know if they are on the right track to achieve their SOM goals. GreenKeeper has received generous…
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How much did that application cost?
GreenKeeper App is a decision support tool that was designed exclusively for the turfgrass management industry. It helps managers track applications, select PGR and pest control products, log cumulative fertilizer inputs and provides pesticide rotation management guidance. This past winter, our team of developers have been working hard to create…
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Invest in Yourself this Off-Season with GreenKeeper University
Great Lakes School of Turfgrass Science and GreenKeeper University team up to provide introductory and advanced turfgrass educational opportunities. Virtual classes are three to twelve weeks long and run from Nov 30, 2020 to April 2, 2021. At GreenKeeper, our vision is to transform how the turf industry makes decisions.…