Don’t Be April Fooled
Mistakes You Shouldn’t Make This Season
It was The Who that sang the famous phrase “we won’t get fooled again”, but it’s been echoed each spring by turf managers all over the country. With each year that goes by, you learn, you adapt, and you resolve to be even better next year.
Well, next year is here, and we’ve got some reminders for you so you don’t fall into some of the same mistakes you made in years past. Here are a few to look out for:
Overwatering
This one can have several layers of negative effects. First, standing water is a hotbed for diseases and insects, so if you have too much water or not enough drainage, you could be looking at a lot more issues down the road.
In addition, many drought-stricken areas have regulations on how much water you can use on your turf. And, in general, you should conserve water as best you can, because standing water is wasted water.
Not watching the weather
Recent extreme storms have continued to prove that weather is harder to predict than ever. That doesn’t mean you should give up on the weatherman. It actually means the opposite. They’ll be able to give you some insight on what kind of weather is on the way, and you should be prepared for anything.
Having short-term foliar turf treatments ready can help you combat drought, stress or too much water. Your slow-release nutrients have you covered over the long-term, but having something fast acting will benefit your turf and keep you going through the punches that Mother Nature throws.
Using too much fertilizer (at the wrong time)
You obviously know that fertilizer’s main goal is to stimulate growth, but you only want to stimulate growth at key times. If you use too much fertilizer right away, you may experience uneven flush growth. Even worse, if you use too much fertilizer in the middle of the hot summer when your turf naturally is more dormant, you’ll waste it by battling its natural dormancy.
To succeed over the long season, slow release nutrients are the way to go. They’ll gently help your turf “wake up” out of dormancy and provide a steady stream of nitrogen nutrients for up to 3 or 4 months. Consider our line of ProScape fertilizers to find the perfect one for you.
Misreading your product labels
Even if you’re in a hurry to get ready for the busy spring and summer, ALWAYS take the time to double-check what products you’re using. You don’t want to end up on the news, costing your business hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Make sure all of your products and treatments are organized and labeled clearly, and double check the packaging to make sure you have the right products for what you’re planning on doing.
Not communicating
If something goes wrong, or if you’re making changes to your turf that could affect your customers, don’t keep people in the dark. As this article from the USGA says, “Change is not necessarily bad, but failing to communicate it is.”
If you’re making changes, make sure the right people approve them. Just like with most changes in life, people get more upset when they don’t know, so communication and transparency is key. Plus, if you have sound reasoning behind your changes or improvements, you’ll be a hero for making the turf better. And if you make a mistake, tell someone so that the damage is minimal.
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