Salt/Ice Melt Update

Let's all get our crystal balls out and determine what kind of winter we will have this season. Really, all we can do is listen to the predictions and then plan on an average year.

This season is still seeing a slight hangover of the last two seasons. The 2013-2014 season saw a complete depletion of salt and ice melt reserves with a significant jump in price. This set up a preseason purchasing frenzy during the 2014-2015 season, which again created early season shortages.

What can we expect this season? The lack of snow / ice events until February did relieve some of that pressure and left many customers with bulk salt inventory going into this current season. Bagged product carryover was not as prevalent as bulk salt. 

This season we see that bulk salt pricing has come down, and supply is available for now. However, total reserves are still not at capacity, and if significant weather occurs, we could see supply problems. After looking at inventory, it is advisable to determine your needs for an average season and lock down your supply. 

Bagged product pricing took about an average 3% price increase over last year. Current availability is good, especially for blended ice melt. Bagged salt is available now, but was put on allocation at the very beginning of the season. This means that our supplies have not built up the reserves on bagged salt, and if any significant weather occurs, it will be the first casualty. Although not as critical as bulk salt, it is still a good idea to lock down your average needs. 

Potassium's Importance to Turf

Potassium is one of the primary nutrients that turfgrass needs to thrive. It controls turgor pressure, as well as plant enzymes utilized in protein and carbohydrate production. Because of this, it's crucial in traffic and drought tolerance. Although potassium is found in our Midwest soils, only an incredibly small amount is available to the plant. Potassium forms, such as feldspar and muscovite, are tied up in the soil profile and cannot be used by the plant. Thus, using a sprayable or spreadable potassium fertilizer is choice. The Anderson's® and FoliarPak® both make solid options for potassium fertility. Improve the turf's ability to handle more traffic now!

Craig Sherperd
ProGro Sales Representative

ArmorTech® Zoxy-T®

A synergistic combination golf course fungicide--combing two of the best golf fungicide technologies in the market--delivers broad-spectrum disease control including patch diseases, foliar diseases, and soil-borne pathogens.

• Spray at a lower rate for economical fairway disease control
• Economical rates for fairways and first-in-class fungicide at full rates for greens
• Guaranteed for performance by UTA member companies

Click here to view the label and brochure.

The Early Order Program from BASF: Making it simpler to save

The BASF Early Order Program for 2016 is designed to make it easier for superintendents to plan and save for the year ahead.

EOP offers the biggest savings of the year on leading turf management products from BASF, including Lexicon^® Intrinsic^® brand fungicide and Xzemplar^® fungicide, the company’s newest innovations.

Only a limited time remains to take advantage of big October rebates, which makes this an “act now” opportunity. Here’s a quick overview of the 2016 EOP, which runs until December 11, 2015:

• Order Early – Earn up to 33% more in rebate dollars by ordering in October

• Order Easy – Order specially designed product cubes for 10% instant savings

• Order Innovation – Order Lexicon Intrinsic brand fungicide and Xzemplar fungicide to boost rebates by 1%

This year’s EOP includes all the features superintendents liked from last year, plus new additions like the EOP Order Planner, an Excel-based tool that makes it easy to prepare orders and calculate rebates.

Click here to view the 2016 Turf Solutions Early Order Program Guide. 

Putting the Course to Bed

Well it’s here.The leaves are falling and the frost has hit.  As I make course visits, I hear a familiar mantra, “Wow, I need a break!”  Winter's grip will be here soon enough and the long break you all deserve will be upon us. The glorious hiss of compressed air howling through irrigation heads will be like a whistle at the end of a long shift.

To me, the practices that take place in the fall are the most important of the season. We are always at the mercy of Mother Nature, but never so much as when we put the course to bed for the winter. Topdressing, aerifying, fertilizing, covering or not covering turf are all decisions that can have a huge impact on how our turf makes it through the winter. This is my twenty-third winter in this industry, and the options still bounce around in my head every fall.

I am not sure if there is one proper way to prepare turf for an uncertain winter. We have to do the best we can and rest assured that we have done all that our expertise and experience have taught us. As you are executing your winter plan, remember time spent now may save double that time in the spring. Finish strong and do all you can to ensure the turf will be at its best in the spring. Also, take some time to do whatever you enjoy in your down time. Ask your neighbors what they do. 

Your ProGro agronomist can be a great resource for information. They see many interesting things, which are being tried at other facilities, and some are finding great success. For instance, wetting agents and growth regulators are being used late into the year. Dyes and pigments are also being applied with snow mold applications. There is even a new ice melt for turf! You will enjoy the winter more knowing that your turf has been taken care of properly. Thank you for entrusting us to be a part of your program.  

Rusty Stachlewitz

ProGro Sales Representative

4 Steps for Prepping Golf Courses for Winter

1. Raise the mowing height on greens.

2. Apply sand topdressing at least on greens (tees and fairways if possible) to protect the crown over the winter.

3. Apply anti-dessicants/anti-transpirants to turf that can be exposed to harsh winter conditions. Also, apply to trees or shrubs that are susceptible (arborvitaes).

4. Apply fertilizer to turf once top growth has slowed down. This will allow the plant to take up these nutrients and store them as carbohydrates for later use. 

Brett Ziegler
ProGro Sales Representative