A View From The South East

The last few weeks in Georgia / N. Florida have been challenging. With the passing of Tropical Storm Fay we can take a stab at evaluating its impact.

• How about water logged Turfgrass for 4 plus days in some areas.
• How about (for those managing bermudagrass green), 3-4 solid days of 100% cloud cover.
• How about temps in the low to mid nineties with RH in the 60% + range for 4 plus days.

(more…)

Why Support Branded Products?
Earlier this week, I handled a complaint call from a Pest Control Operator saying that he was getting total failure with his weed control program. Since they were using Pendulum® AquaCap™ herbicide as part of the mix, I assumed that this would be a preemergent herbicide troubleshooting call. As it turned out, the problem was not with the Pendulum AquaCap.

Their mixture of generic glyphosate and Scythe was failing to show any weed control results. Postemergent weed control was so bad, they started purchasing a Ready To Use Roundup/Contact herbicide from Home Depot. Not only is this completely illegal for them to use, it was also costing them “an arm and a leg.” The PCO wanted to know about mixing ratios, compatibility and anything else that could be causing the weed control failure.
He wasn’t able to get answers from the generic supplier. At this point in time, the small increase in price he would have paid for the Roundup seemed like a pretty good deal. He was dealing with a significant number of callbacks.

What value do you receive when dealing with a branded product manufacturer like BASF and others?
*Local sales support
*Local technical support
*Consistent formulations and packaging
*Support and reinvestment in the industry
*Support of University and private research programs
*Support of branded products assists basic manufacturers in developing new and innovative products.

Raked sand traps to help prepare for FedEx Cup Tournament at The Barclays
I volunteered for the FedEx Cup at The Barclays at The Ridgewood Country Club in northern New Jersey. The tournament was broadcast on television Sunday August 25th. Grass Roots sponsored the refreshments and food for the maintenance volunteers. Most golf course superintendents from the area also volunteered for the event. The course had to be ready by 7:00 a.m. It takes a lot of people to get things in shape for the players. I showed my skills raking the sand traps.

You can view tournament photos at the PGA Tour Web site and read more about the winner, Vijay Singh. For news coverage by World Golf, click here. For blog coverage, visit the Ridgewood CC blog.

(more…)