All Episodes
Displaying episodes 31 - 60 of 118 in total
Terminology of turfgrass soils: total organic material (#OM246) and soil organic matter (SOM)
Brian Whitlark is the West region director of the USGA Green Section. We talked about total organic material testing of turfgrass soils. This is distinct from soil org...
Potassium fertilizer could increase dandelions by 20x
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) abundance can be increased by potassium (K) and lime applications. Adding K fertilizer when it is not needed by the grass, or adding l...
Using the standard growth potential (GP) equation allows direct comparisons from site to site
I used to tell people that GP is just a number, and if they wanted to modify it to fit the way grass grows at their location, then go ahead and do so. I don't say that...
Is nitrogen rate connected to surface area disruption?
March in Japan is the start of cherry blossom season, and on golf courses there is a lot of aerification. I've noticed that golf courses in Japan generally don't do as...
All about the growth ratio equation for temperature-adjusted #ClipVol
I explained what the growth ratio is and showed the equation used to calculate growth ratio. This simple equation takes the measured clipping volume and adjusts it by ...
Growth ratio to predict clipping volume for any time of year
One of the common questions about #ClipVol is "what is a normal amount of clippings to get?" By using the growth ratio, it's possible to account for the temperature co...
Turfgrass growth rate and plant growth regulators with Bill Kreuser
Bill Kreuser joined to answer all the questions I could think of related to plant growth regulators (PGR). We discussed re-application intervals based on growing degre...
Cool-season turfgrass growth potential in Augusta in April and in November
In 2020, I looked at the temperatures in Augusta during the April Masters Tournament week, and the temperatures in November during the re-scheduled Masters dates. From...
The USGA's GS3 for measuring putting green performance with Scott Mingay and Jordan Booth
I spoke with Scott Mingay and Jordan Booth from the USGA about the GS3 tool that measures green speed, smoothness and trueness of ball roll, and surface hardness of go...
Soil nutrient levels—especially in sand rootzones—can change rapidly
Soil nutrient levels might change more rapidly than you realize. This has implications for whether nutrients should be applied as fertilizer, or not. I showed data fro...
Five things to know about soil pH, and how to get the best fertilizer recommendations
I recommend keeping the soil pH between 5.5 and 8.5 when you are managing fine turfgrass. This episode explains why that is the recommended range, and also considers t...
Soil test calibration and interpretation for turfgrass with Beth Guertal
Turfgrass soil test interpretation and the fertilizer recommendations that come from that have been highlighted as "arbitrary" and "based on other crops" and "needing ...
Growth potential of turfgrass, the link to actual growth, and a further connection to N fertilizer with Bjarni Hannesson
Bjarni Hannesson has been using the temperature-based turfgrass growth potential (GP) for ten years. We discussed how he makes use of it in Iceland, and how the GP can...
The temperature-based turfgrass growth potential (GP) in words — not numbers
The temperature-based turfgrass growth potential (GP) is a utility function that expresses the potential of temperature to affect shoot growth. Without going into too ...
Spots of excitement—snow mold spots—in an otherwise boring potassium experiment, with Doug Soldat
Doug Soldat is a professor in the soil science department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. We discussed a recent photo he shared showing dramatically increased ...
How to collect soil samples for #OM246 and #MLSN tests
Soil sample collection and handling procedures and recommendations and pitfalls. Plus three recommended newsletters.
Turfgrass Twitter in 2022 with Paul Hurst
Paul Hurst, co-owner of GreensPro, joined me to discuss the Turf Twitter 2022 rankings and his 13th place finish in these highly competitive rankings. We ended up talk...
The 10 posts no one read last year with Joe Gulotti
Joe Gulotti joined me to discuss ten blog posts from the ATC blog that got the fewest views in 2022. It's easy to understand why some of these are on the list. A few d...
How much N is in two tenths of a pound? A lot, or a little?
A little bit of N is just that, a little bit, causing a small amount of growth. But with turfgrass being a perennial crop, those little bits of N eventually add up to ...
Fourteen of my favorite turf photos from 2022
I discuss the interesting things I saw in 14 turfgrass photos in 2022. From zoysia to boats to traffic to tournaments to organic matter loss on ignition crucibles, thi...
Planning forward, measuring backward, plus a year end miscellany
I explain how I like to use growth potential for planning, and then how I adjust based on measurements looking backward. This is also a year end miscellany, because I ...
Total organic material testing (OM246) to measure how much grass grew underground
Total organic material measured in the soil will include plant parts and thatch. Soil organic matter, on the other hand, excludes plant material. This episode discusse...
Park Grass experiment photo gallery, fertilizers, and weeds in turfgrass
There's an interactive photo gallery with images from each of the Park Grass experiment subplots. I discuss this, and why it is worth looking at, and why dogma about t...
Is carbon the next frontier in fertilization?
A blog post from 2018 continues to be one of the most-read on the ATC site. It's about carbon fertilizer, and consists of quotes from Bryan and Tyler Hopkins' article ...
Coring (hollow-tine cultivation) as a growth stimulator, plus estimated N mineralization from SOM
Is the real benefit of coring the growth stimulation that happens when turf is cored? Should soil organic matter reduction be considered a reason for or benefit of cor...
Overseeding timing, early, late, and optimum, by delta growth potential (GP) with Larry Stowell
Larry Stowell joined me on the ATC Doublecut to discuss winter overseeding of warm-season grasses with cool-season grasses, specifically by checking the temperature co...
Why I recommend annual soil testing for professionally managed turfgrass grown in sand rootzones
One of ATC's soil testing clients had soil pH drop from 6 to 4.8 on tee surfaces from 2019 to 2022, with no soil testing in the three years between. For sand rootzones...
Big picture implications of #MLSN, SLAN, & SPF phosphorus recommendations, plus cumulative #ClipVol
I set myself a big challenge for this episode: to try to explain clearly what I was trying to communicate in a recent blog post about P fertilizer recommendations, and...
The most common soil testing mistakes, and how to avoid them, with Doug Soldat
Soil testing can be a valuable tool, but to make use of the results most effectively, one needs to avoid common mistakes. Doug Soldat from the University of Wisconsin ...
An alternative reference for frost delays with Jim Huntoon
In some parts of the world, traffic on frosted turf is forbidden. In other parts of the world, traffic is allowed, perhaps even encouraged. Jim Huntoon and I discussed...