Micah Woods
I'm chief scientist at the Asian Turfgrass Center and director of the @paceturf information service. Some current projects include #OM246, #ClipVol, and #MLSN.
Appears in 160 Episodes
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...
Using the turfgrass growth ratio to adjust for site-specific conditions with Jason Haines
The turfgrass growth ratio (speedo) was developed by Jason Haines. It's a ratio of actual growth (grass clippings) divided by a temperature-adjusted standard amount of...
Why soil samples should be air dried before sending to the lab
The procedures of soil sample collection and handling before sending to the lab are important. Reduce unknowns and variability in the test results by drying the sample...
Turfgrass in Iceland, frost, 24 hours of golf, and #MLSN with Bjarni Hannesson
Bjarni Hannesson joined me on a late summer day from Reykjavik to discuss turfgrass management in Iceland and the surprising number of golf rounds played at courses in...
Grass color, consistency, and the oldest course in Thailand with Joe Gulotti
Joe Gulotti joined me to discuss another blog post that bombed, and we ended up discussing mango drinks, birdie dances, consistency in playing conditions, and turf color.
Mowing stripes on tea, 18 turfgrass videos about greenkeeping in Japan, plus best lift access snow
I describe mowing stripes on tea trees (bushes), explain what I put in 18 videos about greenkeeping from a recent trip to Japan, and count the number of days with snow...
Manganese deficiency, Doublecut show stats, and my New Zealand presentation highlights
I discussed whether 11 ppm soil Mn might be deficient, took a look at Doublecut show statistics to see the countries with the most listens plus compared the views on Y...
Drought performance of warm-season grasses plus a KBC Augusta data review
I reviewed the data I collected at the KBC Augusta tournament including green speed and firmness, the bobble test, and soil water content, along with discussion of res...
Managing seashore paspalum "dry and lean" with Jon Wall, plus tournament prep in Vietnam
Jon Wall joined me from Danang on the eve of hosting the BRG Open tournament to discuss seashore paspalum.
Zoysia and bermudagrass green speed live from the KBC Augusta tournament in Japan
I discussed zoysia and bermudagrass green speed while broadcasting from the maintenance office of Keya Golf Club in Fukuoka, host of the KBC Augusta tournament on zoys...
A lot more than the average tournament, sodium/potassium ratios in soil, & golf rounds data
I recorded this episode at the golf course maintenance facility at Keya Golf Club in Fukuoka, Japan, at the start of the 2022 KBC Augusta tournament. I talked about wh...
Posts no one read (but I wish they had): grass on the Kumamoto city tram lines with Joe Gulotti
There's grass on the Kumamoto City tram lines, mown with the most incredible (and expensive) reel mower I've every seen. Joe Gulotti joined me to discuss why this was ...
Golf course architect Paul Jansen and I debate the best golfing destination in Asia
Paul and I discussed a number of locations around Asia including Da Nang, Thailand, Hokkaido, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Indonesia, and the Philippines, for their relative me...
PACE Turf, turf textbook publishing, and the International Turfgrass Society w/ John Kaminski
John Kaminski joined me to discuss PACE Turf's information service, the turf textbook publishing industry, and more.
Frank Rossi and I discuss what I've called my "least favorite experiment ever"
Frank Rossi from Cornell University joined me to discuss an experiment he conducted (and I helped with a little bit) in the early 2000s. We discuss the performance of ...
Andrew Thomson on remote courses in Japan, hickory golf, links turf, and "champagne golf"
Andrew Thomson joined me from Itoshima, Japan to discuss the type of golf courses one can find on remote islands in Japan, such as the spectacular Hirabaru at Ukushima...
Dollar spot and a predictive model, fertilizer recommendation survey, and light that's "missing"
I discuss seeing a lot of dollar spot and checking the probability of a disease epidemic, show the results of a fertilizer recommendation survey, and discuss a ranking...
Achieving the desired turf surfaces by thinking backwards (or why reactivity can beat proactivity)
I discuss the idea that being reactive to current turf conditions---working backwards from the conditions to the work that should be done---offers substantial advantag...
Zoysia on putting greens? Why?
Have you ever putted on zoysia greens? Wait, zoysia can be used on putting greens? Yes, it can be, and in many cases it makes a fine choice of grass. However, it has a...