What time is it? This question means different things to different people. To most, it is a straightforward inquiry about the time of day. In the green industry, however, it’s more a question of proper timing for product applications. Our warm April caused more timing questions this year than ever. In the Northern Ohio and […]

Soft Scale Because we had a significant warm up in the winter, there is a possibility that soft scale crawlers are already active and feeding. While you might think that the warm temperatures followed by the colder temperatures of the previous weeks could harm them, I’m sure it didn’t. Insects have been surviving for centuries […]

Fairy Ring affects all turf species and is one of the most difficult diseases to control. It is caused by >40 species of basidiomycete fungi that can infest thatch, mat or soil.

June 03, 2013 at 3:00 am What a slow start to 2013. Spring seems to be dragging out week after week. With below average temperatures in May and into the first part of June, turf managers are presented with an opportunity that we have not had for quite a few years. With the heat and […]

November 27, 2016 at 7:49 pm Winter will really kick-in before we know it, and with winter comes our education seminars and the green industry trade show season. Here are the education seminars (more TBA) and trade shows you will be able to find us at this season: Winter Education Seminars: December 14, 2016 Winter […]

November 02, 2011 at 3:23 pm Category: Advanced Turf’s Solutions Parkview Field is home to the Fort Wayne TinCaps, the Class A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. Beyond its brick archways at the gate lies the field with straight baselines shooting out from home plate and carpeted by lush green turf contrasted by the […]

March 22, 2016 at 9:02 am The goal of all individuals involved in the maintenance of an athletic field is to make it playable for a successful playing season. Who would be more qualified to give advice on how to achieve this than the pros that work on sports fields every day? The list below […]

October 20, 2015 at 10:34 am Category: Around the Turf Scene The BASF Early Order Program for 2016 is designed to make it easier for superintendents to plan and save for the year ahead. EOP offers the biggest savings of the year on leading turf management products from BASF, including Lexicon Intrinsic brand fungicide and […]

April 15, 2015 at 7:07 am Category: Product News Spring is here and applications for disease control on ornamentals have already started. Those of you that have heard me give a talk on ornamental disease control know what a fan I am of two particular fungicides in combination: Tourney and Nordox Fungicides. Those two products […]

August 03, 2015 at 8:25 am Thirty years ago, when I first started calling on golf courses, one of my favorite superintendents had a particular date circled on every calendar in his shop. The date “Dave” had circled was August 15th. After a few sales calls, I asked “Dave” what the significance of August 15th […]

Welcome to a “normal” Midwest summer, if there is such a thing. During these long stretches of hot weather, we face several challenges. One challenge is the quality of our turfgrass areas tend to be less than ideal this time of year. Most of the time, our gut instinct is to help the turfgrass along […]

March 11, 2016 at 4:37 pm Our 2016 active ingredient comparison herbicide guide is now available. Use this guide and advice from your ATS sales representative to find the best product for your needs. Download the guide here. Also, read some of our past blog posts about weeds to help you out this season: Blooms: The […]

April 27, 2015 at 8:22 am Category: Around the Turf Scene In my blog post from late summer of 2014, I promised I would give an update on the vegetative bermuda fairways interseeded with Turf Blue HGT last fall. So, here is the update: John Ramsey, from Shady Hollow Golf Course, interseeded Turf Blue HGT into 9 […]

March 11, 2013 at 6:34 am Category: Product News Advanced Turf Solutions is excited to announce Foliar-Pak SYNTRYX, a new product which contains a unique combination of pigments and adjuvants. SYNTRYX masks plant injury or discoloration while improving the performance of its tank mix partners and enhancing turf aesthetics. SYNTRYX is the only turf pigment containing SYNC fungicide […]

December 19, 2011 at 12:00 am Folks, there’s a problem when you finish with a snow event and there’s still salt laying around all over the cleared pavement.  Salt should be applied at a suggested rate due to the circumstances. We have a product available you can order in bulk called Thawrox.  Thawrox is bulk […]

May 18, 2015 at 1:10 pm Category: Around the Turf Scene  How do you know if you have a grub problem? Most of the time, when a grub problem is present, symptoms of turf damage will also be present. One symptom is brown spots. Brown spots will shown up on your turf, often resembling other […]

December 10, 2012 at 8:13 am Now is a great time to reflect and evaluate your 2012 season. It seems that, in general, most turf professionals had a positive and successful year. We had great March and April weather to kick off our growing season, a severe drought to give us some challenges, and a […]

December 08, 2014 at 3:00 am At 6 foot 3 inches, bright blue eyes and a mop of unruly brown hair, Muirfield Village Golf Club’s Horticulturist, Tim Hollowell, was exactly as I expected, the inquisitive and passionate scientist. As I sat down with him and Holganix inventor and scientist, Stephen T. Lange, at the 2014 […]

July 02, 2012 at 3:00 am As we head into July, outdoor summertime activities are in full swing:  Picnics, barbeques, weddings, graduation parties…the list goes on. And as summer activities heat up, our turf is often at its weakest.  High air temperatures, warm soil temperatures, moisture stress, disease and insect activity and heavy foot traffic […]

August 25, 2014 at 3:00 am Let’s face it; sales are the lifeblood of every business. Sales are the engines that drive companies, and sales directly impact how successful those companies become. Advanced Turf is no different in this regard. Over the last dozen years, we have been extremely fortunate to experience an amazing upward […]

March 18, 2013 at 3:00 am Since we were kids, we have all been subjected to doing things we don’t want to do. Eating brussel sprouts, cleaning our room, and washing behind our ears are just some of the things we were forced to do…and that was just last week, but my wife can be […]

August 05, 2013 at 2:59 am During past few weeks I have received numerous calls on straw colored “stems” in lawns, especially after mowing. The culprit is perennial ryegrass seedheads. Seedhead production requires energy from the plant so it is likely the turf will not only look stemmy due to the seed stalks, but the […]

December 02, 2013 at 3:00 am As a new sales representative for Advanced Turf Solutions, I have spent some time shadowing one of my fellow employees, trying to be like a sponge and soak up all of his knowledge. An interesting story developed from a sales call we made together. The sales call was a […]

July 29, 2013 at 3:00 am We’re approaching the dog days of summer.  Temperatures are at their heights, disease pressure is at its greatest, and we are all focusing our efforts on minimizing turf loss as much as possible.  For many of us, it’s routine to apply sunscreen before we leave the house this time […]

November 27, 2016 at 2:15 pm Breakthrough technology, upgraded formulations, and new products were introduced in 2016 to the growing Foliar-Pak product line. Let’s review the year before we look ahead to 2017. Earlier this year, Foliar-Pak manufacturer, EnP, introduced a new amino acid formulation designed to maximize the genetic potential of turfgrass through the […]

No one wants to find anthracnose lurking on their turf; it’s ugly and destructive. But, when turf is stressed, whether physiologically or mechanically, the probability of anthracnose developing is high. Education is your first line of defense when combating anthracnose and Rutgers University has taken a lead role with their ongoing 15+ year study. Here […]

February 25, 2016 at 2:43 pm Advanced Turf Solutions’s employees know the turf industry is full of challenges, which require adaptable people to come up with great solutions. Our two employees featured in the February Employee Spotlight blog are not strangers to taking on challenges and coming up with great solutions. From joining an industry […]

October 19, 2015 at 8:54 am Category: Around the Turf Scene There is no shortage of information in the debate about the safety of artificial turf, especially in the soccer community. Recent news reports discussing the potential health risks of crumb rubber have once again fueled the conversation of natural vs. synthetic. Regardless of where […]

April 03, 2015 at 1:17 pm In Part I: Balancing Soils – Understanding Critical Relationships, we discussed the importance of balancing carbon and nitrogen. Maintaining the mutualistic relationship between plants and biology is critical to achieving a balanced soil environment and maximizing plant health. What I would like to do now is define the basic […]

November 14, 2016 at 3:31 pm How can we sum up 2016? How about hot, rainy and LONG!? Long is an understatement. In the transition zone, when you see warm season turf being mowed in November, something is not right. Though warm season turf had a great climate this year, even with the extreme temperatures […]

July 25, 2016 at 2:18 pm After years of research and product trials, Foliar-Pak manufacturer, EnP, has discovered a new formula for engineering its proprietary amino acid package. For golf course superintendents, this could mean more peace of mind when it comes to the health and appearance of turfgrass during stressful periods. “Certain amino acids […]

March 04, 2016 at 9:34 pm Category: Around the Turf Scene According to Kissmetrics, bad customer service costs American companies $83 billion annually. In addition, according to the Houston Chronicle, companies with excellent customer service will more likely get repeat sales, thus benefiting with greater sales and profits. So, to say it simply, customer service […]

November 16, 2015 at 10:12 am Category: Around the Turf Scene  At about this time of year, when I was a golf course superintendent myself, I began looking forward to winter weather and a much-needed break from the sun and heat that makes the summer seem to drag at times. Mother Nature has granted us […]

November 15, 2012 at 12:45 pm Category: Product News We are excited to formally announce the rebrand of Foliar-Pak products. You may have seen the teaser ads containing the new Foliar-Pak logo or noticed a glimpse of the new packaging in last month’s newsletter. You will see much more of this in the coming months […]

December 11, 2011 at 12:01 am Once the ground hardens up in late November or December, get that grass seed in the ground.  There is virtually no weed competition, and you won’t have to worry about disease or insect pressures. The soil isn’t too wet to use equipment, and labor isn’t an issue because generally […]

April 27, 2015 at 7:54 pm Category: Around the Turf Scene This time of year in Louisville, Kentucky, is nothing less than exciting and a little overwhelming – building up to the fastest two minutes in sports. Like any other location, we are faced with the challenges of Mother Nature, which include a lot of […]

October 08, 2012 at 3:00 am The importance of a late fall, or winterizer application, cannot be overlooked.  It is the application that allows your turf to repair itself from the drought damage and heat damage it suffered through this past summer. Just like the leaves change color due to the shortening of daylight hours, […]

February 25, 2015 at 10:21 am Your golf course may still be under several inches of snow and your soil profile may be frozen several inches deep. It’s not time to get the sprayer out yet, but it’s a good time to make final adjustments to your spray program. It’s also a good time to […]

May 28, 2015 at 10:21 am Category: Around the Turf Scene The late spring and early summer days are upon us. The warmer days are starting to accumulate faster and faster and, as a result, this increases the population of turf and ornamental damaging insects. Bill bugs, masked shafers, sod webworms, chinch bugs, caterpillars, fleas, […]

May 14, 2012 at 3:00 am Last Monday, the Indiana Chapter of GCSAA had their annual Turf Fundraiser at The Sagamore Club in Noblesville, IN. The Turf Fundraiser is a great event raising money for turf research through the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation. Advanced Turf was proud to sponsor five of the participating teams for […]