Around the Turf Scene

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.