A few years ago Blake Meentemeyer and Brian Whitlark wrote about fertilizer in the Green Section Record. I’ve recommended this article before, in a post on the Viridescent blog. I highlighted in that post a case study from the article—a “facility in the Las Vegas area” reduced putting green fertilizer cost by a staggering 82%. How? By changing from “an expensive fertility program” to “a simpler product line.” Meentemeyer and Whitlark wrote that this confirms research findings “that none of the expensive fertilizer programs were superior to that of urea and iron.”
Here’s the text of that post, including a link to the article.
There is another good article in the Green Section Record, this one by Blake Meentemeyer and Brian Whitlark on Turfgrass Fertilization. You’ll want to read the full article. It talks about the overall goals of fertilizer application, soil tests, some myth busting, fertilizer and playability, and more. It’s a modern article with a lot of historical references too.
The most interesting part of the article for me was the economic case study. A course reduced the putting green fertilizer cost by 82% and the result was “the putting greens have never been healthier.”
I’m surprised more turfgrass managers don’t take advantage of this common knowledge, to get complete control of nutrient supply, to produce incredible surfaces, and to do so for minimal cost.
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