soil

Not everyone understands how the MLSN guidelines work. I saw a photo shared by Andrew McDaniel followed by a number of replies from STSAsia exhibiting confusion on the latter’s part about the use of the MLSN guidelines.

One is an article, another is a podcast, and you won’t regret the time spent reading the first and listening to the second. First, the 4 November 2016 issue of the Green Section Record contains Managing Organic Matter in Putting Greens by Adam Moeller and Todd Lowe.

I was wondering what the effect was. I expected a 1 or 2 °C decrease in nighttime soil temperature in drier soils, compared to soils with more water. I didn’t find it.

The MLSN guidelines were developed from a large dataset of soil tests collected from good-performing turf. You’re probably familiar with the MLSN guideline as a minimum level, with fertilizer recommended to make sure the soil doesn’t drop below the guideline.

There is an extraordinary article in the Green Section Record by Blake Meentemeyer and Brian Whitlark on turfgrass fertilization. You’ll want to read the full article. It talks about the overall goals of fertilizer application, soil tests, some myth busting, fertilizer and playability, and more.

Bhupendra Singh posted a photo on Instagram with this caption: Growing roots! Tifdwarf at Peacock Course Greens, Delhi Golf Club I wondered how the grass had been managed for the past six months.

At first appearance, the demand-driven fertilization of STERF seems almost the same as the growth potential (GP) and MLSN approach. If you are not familiar with this approach from STERF, you can download their Precision Fertilisation – from theory to practice handbook, written by Tom Ericsson, Karin Blombäck and Agnar Kvalbein.

On sand putting greens, it is. The problem caused by sodium is a reduction in the downward movement of water in soils. This is caused by the deflocculation of clay in the soil.

In a conversation on Twitter, Carmen Magro and I showed a fundamental difference in thinking about turf nutrition. My approach, which I explain in Everything you need to know about turfgrass nutrition in 1 lecture, is summarised by this statement:

There is a fine article by Karcher and Richardson in GCM about the effect of wetting agents. In the article, they point out something important: It is often stated that some wetting agents move water rapidly through the root zone while other products retain considerable moisture near the surface, but the data to substantiate such claims is limited.