As I sit here thinking of a topic to discuss for this blog, I am reminded of a quote: “Prior proper planning prevents poor performance.” Had I remembered those wise words and been prepared, writing this blog at the last minute may have gone much smoother.
I committed to writing this back in March, so I have only myself to blame and a reminder from a co-worker to thank. So how can I take my lack of preparation to educate and inform the masses? Let’s take the 6 Ps mentioned above, look back on 2022, and use the winter months to better prepare for 2023.
The first thing you want to do after another long season is to take your foot off the gas and relax. However, now is the time to start preparing for the upcoming year. Put all your thoughts and changes you made this season into a plan of action while they are fresh in your mind.
Updating or changing an entire program can be both time-consuming and overwhelming. If you look back on the past year, hopefully you are only tweaking your upcoming program. Let your ATS rep help you with the prior proper planning to help you prepare for next season.
To simplify changes to your program, separate program building into categories such as the following.
- Foliar fertilizer program
- Soil test using Soil Solver to customize a program based on those results
- Growth regulator program
- Natives/natural area program
- Herbicide program for hard-to-control weeds, both pre- and post-emergent control
- Primary rough program
- Fertilizer with Dimension/Prodiamine (Where did you have breakthrough?)
- Ponds
- Wetting agent program
- Start using these prior to drought stress
- High traffic/stressed areas
- Aeration/overseeding and increasing fertilizer
Combine all of your notes and thoughts into one place to ensure a clean, updated program. Stay on track with your program, and be preventative with your applications. Don’t wait until there is stress on your turf. And don’t forget to soil test!
Start the year with a clean program free of notes, thoughts, calculations, clutter, tears, spills, and stains. Get an updated program made specifically for any area of your property. Let your Advanced Turf Solutions rep help you schedule the upcoming year to prevent poor performance.
