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 […]

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 […]

July 06, 2015 at 9:48 am It sure seems like there has been an invasion of white clover this last month. There may just be an abundance of clover this year; however, the clover could also be flowering more profusely than other years. I also received 10 calls in 2 days about clover, so, that […]

June 01, 2015 at 8:34 am Category: Around the Turf Scene  Yes, I know weeds do not actually have faces. But these pests are the single biggest reason lawn care companies lose customers and need to be killed. They are also the reason why a lot of us have jobs (Thanks, Mr. Dandelion). You spoke […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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, […]

March 11, 2012 at 2:47 pm We are all aware that cost per acre of turf products can range from a few dollars to several hundred dollars per acre. The last contact we have with these products are our spray nozzles. With that thought we would be well served to review and select the appropriate […]

December 17, 2012 at 3:00 am The first day of winter is near, and we have had little to no snow activity.  The picture below is what I am currently snow dancing for. Anyway, recently I traveled out West to do some research on how using a combination of liquid and granular deicers during a […]

November 26, 2012 at 3:00 am As winter approaches, mowing your turf areas down should be done in increments not in just one mowing. The idea is to reduce snow mold by keeping tiller length short throughout the winter months. Lowering your mower setting one notch each of the last three mowings is the ideal method to achieve […]

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 […]

February 25, 2013 at 3:00 am With all of the various types of oils out there, are you sure you are using the right one?  Oils were first developed to control mites and insects on fruit trees because the oil was safe to use and effective when applied as a dormant-season application.  Thus many people […]

January 21, 2013 at 3:00 am Sometimes we take those things in our own backyard for granted, even those things that are truly impressive.  The Central Environmental and Nursery Trade Show, better known as CENTS, hosted by the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association (ONLA) falls in that category for me.  And shame on me. CENTS, […]

January 06, 2013 at 12:36 pm As winter sets in, we have had a little snow and ice activity; just enough to get Advanced Turf warmed up for the season.  We are prepared for what may be up the pike. Check your inventories and make sure you have enough material to get you through.  We […]

February 18, 2013 at 3:00 am Spring golf is not far off in the Midwest.  With every spring comes a flush of seedheads where poa annua is present.  A well-timed plant growth regulator application each spring will reduce poa annua seedhead emergence, improve course appearance, and reduce mowing frequency. One practice to reduce discoloration and […]

February 11, 2013 at 8:05 am Nuisance aquatic vegetation and algae are symptoms of high nutrient levels in the pond water and muck.  Muck is composed of nutrient-rich organic materials that accumulate on the pond floor primarily from decaying vegetation that had grown in the pond such as algae or aquatic plants.  Tree leaves, grass […]

December 03, 2012 at 8:19 am After a winter like 2011-2012, many superintendents are probably wondering whether it is worth the money to treat for snow mold. The turf, if left untreated, can be pock marked with snow mold for many months. Pink snow mold can be the most devastating to the turf. If left […]

Foliar-Pak BioSea + Wetting Agents April 29, 2013 at 3:00 am Each year in this industry, spring brings something new, unexpected, or even delayed.  By this time last year, we had several fungicide applications already down and most warm season grasses had been mowed several times. This year we are still waiting for things to […]

“How Do I Establish A Newly Seeded Area Quickly?” April 01, 2013 at 3:00 am This is a question I am often asked by superintendents eager to establish turf in an area that they are renovating. The primary steps in establishing a newly seeded area include good preparation of the seedbed, proper drainage, quality seed, […]

January 14, 2013 at 8:57 am With the stresses of summer behind, both landscapers and nurserymen can take the time to relax and learn about the most recent advances in the industry.  The Tennessee Green Industry Expo was held this past week at the Nashville Convention Center.  Over 100 vendors from all across the country […]

Like it or not, summer is quickly coming to a close. Before long, the pools will be shutting down for the season, the kids will be heading back to school, and for many of us football will again take center stage. And for those of us in the turf business, we are heading into the […]

April 28, 2014 at 2:59 am As a reminder, don’t forget to calibrate your sprayers this spring as we head into our broadleaf weed control spraying season. In my travels last year, I was amazed to see how many performance issues I addressed that were, in fact, due to calibration issues once investigated. In our […]

April 21, 2014 at 3:00 am Spring may be here, but for anyone growing bermudagrass, winter is still lingering around and its effects have yet to be determined. Winterkill seems to be what’s on every Bermuda grower’s mind right now. How bad? How much? When will it start to green up? Unfortunately there is no […]

May 20, 2013 at 3:00 am Now that everything is leafed out and green spaces are greener, we are beginning to enjoy our home lawns and garden areas again. With summer just around the corner, families will start spending more time outdoors, and we can help you create a friendly environment! You might want to […]

April 22, 2013 at 3:00 am Winter annuals are thick this year! The following are pictures taken this week in Hilliard, Ohio: Chickweed Henbit Corn Speedwell These winter annuals seem to be more prevalent in Ohio this spring.  While these weeds generally don’t like warm weather, you may as well consider a herbicide that will […]

April 15, 2013 at 3:00 am Most of us who manage landscape properties have some sort of water feature involved on one property or another. With the advent of the drought conditions we experienced over the last two years, pond management has become more of a concern and challenge. With the increase in water needed […]

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 […]

July 30, 2013 at 9:49 am I looked at this irrigated lawn about two weeks ago. It’s a blue, rye, fine fescue mix and it had red thread, dollar spot, and summer patch along with severe drought stress. The homeowner was running the irrigation through the rain but shut it off prior to the 90-degree […]