It’s been three years now since COVID-19 emerged. The world has changed, particularly the popularity of outdoor activities.

Learn the differences between Prodiamine and Dimension so you have the most success at pre-emergent applications this spring.

If your lawn care company has tree and shrub service offerings, this blog post is for you.

Left unmanaged, native areas can become frustrating areas for golfers. They can easily grow out of control and make it impossible to find a ball that’s been hit into the rough. A well-managed native area, however, can enhance the aesthetics of a course and ultimately add to the golf experience. Naturalized roughs involve more maintenance than you might expect, including weed control to keep them looking pleasing to golfers.

Aeration is not a new concept in the turf industry. In this blog post, we’ll discuss why aeration has been a staple in the turf industry for decades, along with a few dos and don’ts.

For lawn care companies, there are many advantages of using liquid pre-emergent herbicides rather than granular pre-emergents. This blog post will explore those benefits and provide one caution to heed when developing a liquid weed control program.

Tank-mixing is a valuable practice for several reasons. Of course, it improves the efficiency of your crew by allowing them to apply multiple types of products at one time. But it can also enhance the efficiency of the products themselves and help prevent fungicide resistance.

Every spring, the internal debate begins. Do we seed in the spring, or can it wait until fall? If it can wait, the job will be much easier and most likely have better results. We’ll have conditions that create a more suitable environment for seeding. But we all fall victim to the rogue snowplow or the significant other who just won’t stay in the confines of the driveway. Sometimes we must accept situations (and people) and realize that spring seedings are necessary.

What is an infield “lip,” and how do you manage it?

Japanese stiltgrass is a prevalent weed in the South. It is manageable but can become a problem if not controlled early. This blog post will explain how to identify and control Japanese stiltgrass so it doesn’t get out of control on your golf course.

If knowledge is power, then soil testing just might make you Superman.

Waking up to a frost-covered lawn may sound cozy, but it can be concerning to homeowners who are afraid the frost will damage their yards. Understanding frost will help ease worries about its effect on grass.

As we flip the calendar and regroup for the 2023 growing season, the largest component of most budgets is labor. What can minimize the shortcomings of a smaller staff but keep providing a safe and desirable product? Five steps that we can focus on are fertilization, growth regulators, wetting agents, pond management, and weed control.

If you own a lawn care company, you know it’s about much more than yard work. In “The Business of Lawn Care” series, we discuss topics related to managing and growing a company in the lawn care industry. 

Have you heard about the new water testing program we have at all 24 of our locations? We’re offering free water testing to customers who bring in a sample of their spray water. Because your spray water can interfere with the chemicals you apply, we want to ensure that you’re not spraying “expensive water.” Testing your water will provide the information to condition your spray water so you don’t have to apply more chemicals than necessary.

Successful sod establishment doesn’t just happen. It involves thorough preparation and careful planning to give the new turfgrass stand a healthy environment to root and grow. This blog post will discuss how to do just that, including when it’s safe to use herbicides on a newly sodded area.

For golf course and sports turf sprays this season, consider adding Activo from Precision Laboratories. Activo is a unique new activator adjuvant (tank additive) with a green pigment. It improves pesticide performance while providing a natural green appearance. Increase the efficacy of your fungicide and PGR applications at an affordable cost per acre while giving turf a natural green appearance. 

Fine fescue is a popular cool-season turfgrass for golf course roughs. It adds color, texture, and definition to a course while delivering ease of maintenance. This blog post will explore fine fescue, what makes it unique, and how to properly care for it.

Doveweed is an increasingly problematic weed on golf courses. It infests warm-season fairways, roughs, and tees. The weed’s life cycle and growth pattern make it especially difficult to control. 

We talk a lot about the usefulness of pre-emergent herbicides against weeds on golf courses. But what do they actually do?

This January was the sixth-warmest on record, and February is following suit. While many are hoping for at least a little winter before we start the application season, it's definitely time to get our heads back in the game and ready for pre-emergent applications. Here are some tips and tricks to remember as we get going.

If you completed a dormant seeding project in the fall or winter, you might wonder what to expect as we near spring. Dormant seeding can be an effective method for establishing or overseeding cool-season grasses, and spring germination is the final step of the process. This blog post will provide some expectations and recommendations for turfgrass establishment this spring.

Advanced Turf Solutions has 24 locations that proudly serve customers in 15 states. Our Eastern Ohio location first opened in 2014 in Youngstown, then relocated to Boardman in 2022. With a recent addition, the Boardman facility now has 8,600 square feet for this growing operation.

I'm sure you have heard about resistance issues by now. Extension personnel preach about fungicide rotation on golf courses to avoid resistance. Greenhouses always rotate miticides. But what about insecticide resistance in a landscape setting? When do we need to focus on rotating mode of actions? Are some insects more prone to developing resistance? What products are available for rotation?

Large patch is a destructive disease occurring in both the fall and spring when extended periods of saturated soil and overall wetness create ideal conditions for development. The best way to keep large patch off your course is to treat for it preventively.

Spray equipment is an investment for your lawn care company, so you want to make sure you’re selecting the right equipment for your needs. Things to consider are vehicle size, tank material, pump type, and hose style. In this article, we’ll dig a little deeper into each of these factors.

Many things make up a safe, playable infield skin on a baseball or softball field. No matter the age group, skill level, or budget situation of your facility, a properly graded infield will provide significant value.

Groundskeepers and field managers stuck in the cold can get a head start by spending this time doing the pre-season work that can be brought indoors.

There are many reasons why zoysiagrass has been the most commonly used turfgrass on golf course fairways and tees in the transition zone for many years. It requires less fertilizer, less water, and has fewer pests while providing a smooth and consistent playing surface for golfers. 

In this podcast episode, Beth Berry interviews Roy Smith, sales manager at Advanced Turf Solutions. The two discuss how to add snow removal and ice melt to your turf and ornamental business. Topics include pricing, customer acquisition, equipment, setting customer expectations, and selecting the best products. Beth Berry is the vice president of turf and […]

New construction properties have chronically low soil quality, making it challenging to grow healthy grass. Why is that, and what can you do about it? Whether your company has been hired by a new homeowner to care for their lawn or contracted by a builder to establish a new lawn, this article is for you. We’ll discuss common issues and how you can adapt your practices to overcome them.

When people talk about seeding over the winter or dormant seeding, what do they mean? Dormant seeding is a practice that takes place between the middle of November and early March, depending on your geography. You can seed any time during the winter once the soil temperature drops and stays below 40 degrees. Dormant seeding works anywhere you would typically seed on any height of turf.

You've had a few customers ask for tree and shrub fertilization, but you currently do not offer it. Read on to see what you should know about offering tree and shrub fertilization to your customers.

You have all of your pesticide applicator certifications. Now what? Here are some tips and tricks of the trade that they don’t always teach in education programs.

As you’ve evaluated your equipment needs for the 2023 lawn care season, have you added backpack sprayers to your list? If so, we have a variety of options to help your crews get the job done safely, efficiently, and comfortably.

If you own a lawn care company, you know it’s about much more than yard work. In “The Business of Lawn Care” series, we discuss topics related to managing and growing a company in the lawn care industry.

Does pond maintenance sound like something your customers would be interested in? Here are a few things to know before adding the service.

Most people don’t understand how much work goes into maintaining baseball and softball infields. In this comprehensive blog post, we’ll discuss four factors for sports field managers to consider. We’ll look at native versus engineered soil; components of an infield mix; silt-to-clay ratio; and conditioner depth.

With the growing season coming to a halt, it now becomes time to ask the question, “Are you prepared for next year?” Read about how having an agronomic plan will provide good communication, better financial management, and is generally a roadmap to success for the next year.

For most turf managers, the winter months provide much-needed time indoors to evaluate the business. While you may cringe at the idea of spending time in the office in front of the computer, taking time to evaluate a few budget basics can reap big rewards before, during, and after the season.