We rarely spray anything without a little premix in a five gallon bucket.  Some of the typical additions are iron sulfate, manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate, ammonium sulfate, calcium nitrate, potassium nitrate, mono potassium phosphate, and a product called UFLEXX.  To these, we always add some other ingredients to get the final mix we are looking for.

There are many phenomenal products that are ready to go in a 2.5 gallon jug.  They already contain a good ratio of N-P-K plus additions like amino acids, kelps, and minors like iron, boron, copper, and magnesium.  Of course, all that convenience comes with a price tag that we've decided to avoid a majority of the time.

The trade off is some labor intensive mixing that takes patience and time.  It also tends to ruin clothes and cheap drills.  However, the greens are very happy with what we've been doing.  We have dense turf, little thatch, and a few more inches of roots than before.   

Someday, we might trade in the iron stained drill for a fancy mix tank or even build one in-house.  I would certainly enjoy that luxury and it would make for a good blog post.  Until then, we will continue to shuttle five gallon buckets filled with hot water out of the shop and towards the fertilizer storage area.

Maintenance tip:  If you happen to be working with the same strategy, here is a tip that might help with the process.  The UFLEXX fertilizer is sometimes contaminated with a few prills of Polyon.  These do not break down and will clog a nozzle as soon as they leave the boom.  We now pour all of our granular-turned-liquid products through a tea towel to catch any solids.  Jan, our mechanic, brought in an old one she used for dishes and it has been a very useful time saver. 

It's been much too long since I've updated the blog and here are the reasons (excuses) why posts have been infrequent.

1. There is very little to talk about.

We've been dealing with regular maintenance without much time for projects of any sort.  Also, the turf is growing well in pretty much all locations.  No word is the good word and I haven't had any disease or problems to share.  The good stuff doesn't stand out as much so it's been pretty quiet around here.

2. I lost my photographer.

When Rob left, he took his camera and all of the daily photos he used to snap.  I am getting back into the practice of documenting our work and course conditions, both the good and the bad to share in future posts.  It may sound silly, but posts like this one look bare without a picture to break up the text.

3. Burned out, it happens

Towards the end of August, the long days and constant work starts to wear on an individual.  Two months without an assistant or a spray tech leaves little time to write blogs and the end of the day is better spent forgetting about work than writing about it.  The blog suffers, my lawn suffers, and my hair has a few more sprinkles of gray.  However, a couple of days off, a couple good conversations with other superintendents, and some new staff gets the juices pumping again.

So, no more excuses, it's time to blog it up.  We have the camera in use and plenty to discuss.  Please come back in the next few days to read some new posts that are long overdue.  Upcoming topics include; bunkers: what's wrong and how to fix it, what to do with our shallow lakes, money saving fertilizer strategy, and a new segment that starts with a photo and the question, "what happened there?"

I am also working to combine a Facebook fan page and Twitter to the blog in case you prefer your social media in another form.  More info to come soon.

Your maintenace staff just received a little attention on the cover of The Golf Course Trades.  Here is a link to the website where you can click your way to the article:  Key to our success

The crew was pretty happy to see themselves on the cover of one of the many turf magazines that litter the breakroom.  They certainly deserve the attention and appreciation for making this course so good, day in and day out.  To all our members, thank you for showing your appreciation as often as you do, in a variety of ways.