October 27, 2014 at 3:00 am It does not seem possible, however, we are almost at the time of year for preventative snow mold applications. With the weather we had last year, this will be more important than ever this winter. This photo was taken earlier this spring of an untreated fairway. This Northern Indiana […]

July 14, 2014 at 3:00 am Clipper on watermeal before and 14 days after treatment. Clipper was applied at 200 ppb. Clipper aquatic herbicide is here to help! Clipper aquatic herbicide delivers fast and selective control of invasive and nuisance plants such as cabomba, watermeal, duckweed, eurasian watermilfoil, curlyleaf pondweed and hydrilla. A great combo […]

May 12, 2015 at 6:59 am For decades, we have been topdressing and adding sand through aerification practices to golf greens. These practices, for the most part, have had an excellent impact on the overall playability of putting surfaces. For instance, smooth putting greens can be created from these practices. However, there are a few drawbacks for […]

August 04, 2014 at 2:59 am Believe it or not, we are more than two thirds of the way through the “dog days of summer”. That is right. Soon the kids will be starting back to school, and before we know it, the days will be growing shorter and temperatures will be falling once again. […]

June 09, 2014 at 3:00 am As summer sets in and the temperature starts to heat up, many lawns will start to show the signs of summer stress. But just because things are starting to heat up, don’t let your lawn miss a meal. As with any living thing, the healthier your lawn is going […]

While visiting golf courses, a common problem I’ve come across is fairy ring on putting greens.

By Larry Lennert – Territory Manager – Aquatrols There are seemingly endless choices of soil surfactant (wetting agent) products these days.  To complicate matters, some products have less than 20% active ingredient and are applied in ounces per acre, while other products contain 100% active ingredient and are applied in ounces per 1,000 square feet.  […]

We have experienced a fairly wet and cool year for our turf. With this said, we are still having issues with diseases. The humidity and high dew points have made conditions favorable for red thread, dollar spot, and patch disease. We rarely see such severe disease problems in cooler conditions; however, rapid turf growth often […]

Yellow patch, fairy ring and brown ring patch are popping up in Northeast Ohio.

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 […]

Beginning summer 2017, EnP will market its Foliar-Pak brand of fertilizers nationally and retire the EnP Turf brand.

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.

February 12, 2015 at 3:53 pm Category: Product News THERE ARE TWO AREAS THAT REQUIRE SPRING TUNE-UPS… Pitchers mounds and batter’s box preparation are key in the spring. No baseball field is complete without properly installed batter’s boxes and pitcher’s mound. These areas should be reinforced to handle the constant high impact activity associated with […]

March 12, 2015 at 3:12 pm Category: Product News When soils are functionally balanced, the soil biological community is constantly working hard, not only to meet the plants short-term nutritional needs, but also enhancing the soil microenvironment to insure plant health in the long-term. As managers of turf, we are sometimes either impatient or feel […]

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 […]

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 […]

New Product Announcement:  Foliar-Pak CSi May 08, 2015 at 9:33 pm Category: Product News We are proud to announce the newest product in the Foliar-Pak lineup. Foliar-Pak CSi is a truly unique silicon product, offering 25% bio-available, plant-derived silicon in opaline form delivered with a plant-derived carbon carrier. Silicon is often deficient in the sand […]

May 14, 2015 at 11:07 am Category: Product News The BASF Holiday Spread Program is an important part of any disease control and plant health program. It features Pillar G Intrinsic brand fungicide to enhance growth efficiency, provide powerful disease control, and create healthier and higher quality turf that is better able to withstand stress. The […]

June 12, 2015 at 2:39 pm Category: Product News On June 5, 2015 Tim Zech, President of the United Turf Alliance, issued a voluntary stop-sale of ArmorTech ALT 70 fungicide after reports of turfgrass damage in the Northeast. ArmorTech ALT 70 is manufactured by Tessenderlo Kerley, Inc. (TKI) for the United Turf Alliance. The United […]

October 17, 2011 at 12:36 pm Welcome to the new Advanced Turf Solutions website.  I am excited to share our new site with our current and future friends and customers. Over the past few years the turf industry has gone through tremendous changes.  These changes can in part be linked to the increasing influence of […]

December 20, 2016 at 2:15 pm Here are our hours for the 2016 holiday season! Due to giving our employees a much-deserved break and the holidays, our hours are limited. Hours vary by location.  Fishers, Indiana December 23rd (8 am – 12 pm) December 26th – December 30th (8 am – 1 pm) Elkhart, Indiana […]

October 25, 2016 at 6:57 pm Take full advantage of early order programs (EOP) this fall with these tips and then take a look at all the manufacturer early order programs we are offering this season. Order Early This may seem obvious, order early to take advantage of early order programs, but many programs offer […]

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 […]

March 10, 2014 at 3:00 am As a turf manager the slowest time of the year seems to be winter, and this winter started early and has drug out way too long. I can remember just two years ago when we were mowing grass and playing golf in March; 2014 is different story. Years like […]

October 20, 2014 at 3:00 am A few weeks ago I gave an account of winterkill in bermudagrass that plagued the transition zone. For some of us, especially for low budget turf venues, the challenge still continues in establishing bermuda back to 100%. If we have another winter like the last, some turf mangers may […]

July 22, 2013 at 3:00 am. Three or four weeks ago you were probably thinking, “It looks like crabgrass may not be so bad this season.” Lawns looked good; everyone was happy. Add ten inches of rain, some oppressive heat, and an unfortunate mowing choice or two by well-meaning homeowners, and now you are humbled […]

September 10, 2012 at 3:00 am Late summer/early fall is quickly approaching.  Now is the time to overseed athletic fields. Here is a link for overseeding soccer fields from Purdue University.  Focus on pages 11-12.  Overseeding can be accomplished after aerification and before topdressing and dragging of the cores or with an overseeder.  I like […]

January 30, 2012 at 12:00 am January and February is the time to consider your golf course’s accessories needs.  Once March arrives, the volume of orders increases exponentially, as does the chance of having an item on back order.  Traditionally, this is particularly a problem with customized screen print and embroidered flags. Our primary suppliers, […]

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, […]

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 […]

July 30, 2012 at 3:00 am In an attempt to offset peak and valley production times, our formulators and chemical manufacturers offer incentives to ATS.  By shifting demand to typically off-season production, these suppliers can reduce down time in their facilities as well as generally reduce inventory shortfalls during peak seasons.  Typically these companies offer […]

February 02, 2012 at 9:07 am Now that the groundhog has done his business, it’s time to start thinking about the approaching season.  Chances are you have poa annua on your golf course.  The supposed “annual” grass is a prolific pain and although it gets bad press, most of us would look quite bare if […]

March 25, 2012 at 11:00 pm Although it’s March and only a few days into spring 2012 is off to a fast start!  If you rely solely on the calendar to make applications you could be in for a big disappointment this year.  Crabgrass germinates when soil temperatures are around 60-62 degrees at 1-2 inches […]

May 07, 2012 at 3:00 am Anyone who manages turf understands the need to become more environmentally friendly.  Golfers associate the sprayer with danger, regardless of what’s in the tank.  Over the last several years the EPA has reduced rates on several products and eliminated others entirely.  If you look to agriculture it’s clear the […]

May 21, 2012 at 3:00 am For thirty years I have been trying to get grass and ornamental plants to grow in crappy soil.  I have fought clay soils on slopes and flowerbeds to no end, pouring the water on them to keep them going.  And then I found wetting agents. Simply put, wetting agents […]

August 13, 2012 at 3:00 am Face it, there is dead turf everywhere out there.  Lawn Care professionals need to be gearing up for a huge over seed and repair program this fall for their customers.  Prime seeding time is August 20 through September 15, God willing that it starts raining. First order of business […]

January 28, 2013 at 9:19 am Winter is a good time to learn about opportunities to bring in new revenue and to find ways to differentiate yourself in the lawn care marketplace.  As a sales and product development manager, one of my objectives at Advanced Turf Solutions is to put together the Winter Education Meetings. […]

October 07, 2013 at 3:00 am This year we have seen huge variations in weather from a very wet spring and early summer, to a dry late summer and early fall. Even though it dried up late summer, diseases really got rolling early with all that rain, including bacterial diseases such as fire blight. Fire […]

March 04, 2012 at 11:59 pm March Madness is upon us.  For J&D Turf, this does not relate to basketball, but to getting all the baseball and softball fields ready for spring play.   So, I wanted to share a couple of photos from Covenant Christian as many of the tasks for getting a field ready […]