June 24, 2013 at 3:00 am Now that the spring rains have slowed down and the turf is starting to dry, mowing with sharp blades at the correct height is a great way to keep a dark green turf. Don’t cut cool season grass too short; taller heights provide deeper root systems, better appearance, and […]

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 red clay boundaries.

Winter is quickly ending and it’s time to get your sports field ready for play in the spring. Here are 4 quick tips to check-off for spring play.

The most important responsibility of an athletic field manager is to provide the safest and most playable field possible.  One of the tools to help achieve this goal is mechanical rolling.  This can be done on both the infield and outfield areas of the field. The question many ask is, why? With respect to turf […]

Summer decline can be a major problem on putting greens during summer months, affecting both bentgrass and bluegrass.

Back Your Turf with Bayer- ATS Is Proud to Bring You Science for a Better Life

With the development of the RTF ( Rhizomatous tall fescue ), Barenbrug’s research group identified three distinctly different tall fescue morphotypes: Continental, Rhizomatous, and Mediterranean.  Of these three groups, the Continental-types are by far the most common. Evolving north of the Alps and Pyrenees mountains, Continental-types have been the mainstay of turf-type tall fescue breeding and production since the introduction of Rebel some 30 plus years ago. Named varieties of Continental-type tall fescue now number in the hundreds and are used throughout the world.

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 greens. As excess sand is brought […]

Write down your 30-60-90 day plan, and look at it every day.

November 03, 2014 at 3:00 am The days are getting shorter, the nights longer and the temperatures are falling. Before we know it the ground will be covered with a blanket of white and our lawn care season will be done. If you want healthy turf next spring, a few things should be done to […]

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 golf course had no prior history […]

The calendar has rolled around to fall. Whatever services you provide, you are probably involved in all of them now – fertilization, aeration, seeding, landscape installation, and the list goes on. I hope broadleaf weed control is also on your list this fall, particularly addressing perennial broadleaf weeds and winter annuals. There is no better […]

A good enemy knows when best to attack.  It seems that while we were all enjoying a fun-filled Labor Day weekend, one of our turf enemies took advantage that our guards were let down.  Armyworms abound in Tennessee, affecting turfgrass varieties ranging from hybrid bermuda to tall fescue.  Our Nashville sales team has fielded numerous […]

For lawn care companies, this is quite honestly one of the most labor intensive but very important revenue-producing times of the year.

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, curly-leaf pondweed, and hydrilla. A great combo for hydrilla control is a mixture of Clipper, Diquat and surfactant. Rate: Clipper 1 lb per surface acre-foot of water Diquat […]

For a healthy and green turf, treat your lawn with Foliar-Pak 30-0-0 and Foliar-Pak A.S. Fusion 7-0-0. Everyone knows that the dry, hot days of summer can do a number on the turf. Combat Mother Nature with these four simple tips. 1. Mow High  Short mowed turfgrass equals shallow roots. Higher mowed turfgrass allows for long deeper […]

If at all possible, avoid mowing lawns in the hottest part of the day. This picture is a perfect example of the damage a mower can cause to heat or drought stressed turf.

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 into a stressful period, the better […]

After the winter we all just went through, one would think Mother Nature would be a little bit kinder this spring. We had more than our share of rainfall, and the unseasonably low temps have not made it any easier to keep up with general maintenance. With the slow start to the season, many of you are struggling to keep the grass mowed down and bunkers pushed up. Not to worry; the weather has changed for the better and your golf courses are responding to sunlight and warmth!

It will be time to start making those grub control applications before you know it.  Most of you are probably thinking about it already.  I’ve had several people ask me about recommended rates of imidacloprid because they read or heard about Bayer’s BMP for grub control.

Due to the ‘long, cold, windy, extreme amounts of snow, and just miserable’ conditions this winter, all landscape operators need to be aware of what could await them in the landscapes.

Lawn care operators can increase their bottom line by adding this very profitable additional service! I know that we are all still waiting for spring weather to arrive, but we are not the only ones. As the temperature increases, insects will become more active and will look to find a way into your customer’s homes. […]

The way the winter has gone, some of us are bound to see at least some turf not green up as the temperatures rise this spring. Whether the cause is prolonged ice cover resulting in lack of oxygen, desiccation, low-temperature kill, crown hydration, or snow mold damage, you may have to shift into recovery mode […]

In the fall of 2012 a friend in Columbus, Ohio renovated his lawn, stripped it, new topsoil, and new seeding. He chose Rhizomatous Tall Fescue (RTF), a tall fescue that produces a creeping stem or runner (rhizome) that extends outward from the main plant underground. This rhizome will send a shoot up to the soil […]

December 09, 2013 at 3:00 am Golf in our area has slowed significantly over the past week, as frost delays are getting longer and darkness hits earlier each day. It’s tough on anyone hoping to get in a few more rounds before the New Year. Traffic on frost-covered turf can be damaging; although the delays […]

September 16, 2013 at 3:00 am It’s that time of year. The time when the work slows down because your help went back to school. Wouldn’t that be nice? Somehow we all figure out how to do more with less. This is the time of year that we need to get the most out of […]

September 02, 2013 at 3:00 am Over the past 10 or so years, we have seen a pretty significant decrease in the total amount of nitrogen applied in a season to residential and commercial turf areas. The days of applying 5 to 6 total pounds of N are gone with the backing of University data […]

I think most turf managers will agree dollar spot is one of the most persnickety diseases we face in this part of the country.  Most years, a couple of stout, early fungicide applications combined with spring aerification and fertilization help reduce the impact and severity of dollar spot.  As the heat and dry weather of […]