Author Archives: mikentech

April 2014

Pinched Nerve Edition

The Skinny – April 2014 – Eldrick is going to miss the Master’s. Seriously man? My favorite weekend in April will not be the same. It’s like Van Halen without David Lee Roth. You know what I’m saying. Sammy Hagar is really cool and he talks about Tequila, Cabo and not driving 55 but on his best night he can’t carry DLR’s jock. It’s like Journey without Steve Perry, peanut butter without jelly, a Mustang with a 4 cylinder, a movie without popcorn, Johnson without Bird, Jordan without Wilkins, Cal Naughton Jr. without Ricky Bobby, Shakespeare’s pizza without pepper jack cheese, etc. The beauty of the place, interviews in Butler Cabin, the soothing sound of Jim Nantz’s voice and pumped in birds chirping is nice and all, but Tiger has panache. You want him on that wall, you need him on that wall and he will be sorely missed. Get well Eldrick, golf on the weekends is much better with you in the hunt.

Anywho…..the Rub returns after taking the month of March off. I will beat the dead horse with you, we need some weather. Seasonal Depression Disorder is running rampant so we have to have that big star shining. Hopefully this issue has something that may interest you. Enjoy.

Fickle Dynamics of The Turfgrass Seed Market and Seed Shortage Here Spring 2014 – “I don’t know that fickle is really the correct characterization of the turf grass seed market……the short supply is really a function of supply and demand economics. After the housing collapse of 2008, demand dropped 50-70% over night for all turf grass species, the result being the trade was caught with a crop in the barn and another one in the ground coming our way. Acres of production were throttled back in 2009-2010 as fast as was realistically possible. As the trade worked through the inventories and began to get supply in line with consumption, new plantings were difficult to find as growers had switched to other crops during the down turn. Those other competing crops have held their value resulting in profitable alternatives for growers, making it difficult to compete and get new acres. Subsequently as the turf grass seed consumption has begun to improve, and 2013 crop being off has created a mild shortage of seed to meet demand. “ ~ Glen Jacklin of Jacklin Seed

Quote of The Month – “Chuck Norris got a perfect score on his SAT’s simply by writing Chuck Norris for every answer.” – Submitted by Rob Shaft From The Falls Golf Club.

New Offerings From BASF -Xzemplar and Lexicon – BASF is launching two new fungicides this Spring that look really good. Xzemplar will provide excellent control of dollar spot, brown patch, snow mold and algae. The new active ingredient is called Fluxaproxad. Fluxaproxad is a difficult word to say so they are calling the active Xemium. Xemium is in the carboxamide class just like products Emerald and ProStar. Lexicon will be a combination of Xzemplar and Insignia SC Intrinsic. Lexicon will have a broader spectrum of disease control with the plant health benefits of the Intrinsic. Both products are agency priced. Lexicon comes as a 4x21oz case covering 4 to 5 acres. Xzemplar comes in 114oz units that cover 10 acres. Please holler if you have any questions. Products should be ready for sale starting May 1st.

Keep It Green III – Call it a sophomore slump but we struggled a little bit last year with Keep It Green II. We press on though and are looking to make a significant impact this year. Dr. Miller and Dr. Xiong continue to provide the leadership we desire at Mizzou with their research and representation throughout the country and state. Dr. Miller has done some research on the above mentioned Xzemplar and Lexicon. Dr. Xiong has continued research on wetting agents and new offerings like Pylex. Our request was for Mizzou to conduct relevant research in our area and they are doing just that. In order for the program to thrive they will need our assistance again this year. You can get involved in the following ways:

1. A $1 or $2 check off box for each individual golfer who registers their handicap through MAGA.
2. A KIG personalized invoice to allocate funds from a Superintendents maintenance budget.
3. Keep It Green Trivia Night on Friday, July 25th 2014. – St. Ann Center – Tables of Eight for $240.
-Silent Auction
-Bring Your Own Beverage and Food

*If You Have Questions about KIG III please contact me or Rob Kick at Algonquin Golf Club*

Donation of The Month – The Turf Farm at Mizzou received their Toro Spray Rig last month in light of the efforts of the Board of Directors of the MVGCSA and the entire association. Kudo’s to President Tim Roethler and the rest of the MVGCSA Board in making this donation happen. Funds were raised through the Green Cup Annual Tournament and Keep It Green.

Products Of The Month
Panasea Plus – Help encourage rooting with sea plant extract at 2oz/M.
Precision Incide Out Tank Cleaner – Clean your spray tank. 12/32oz Case.
Secure By Syngenta – Multi Site Contact @ .5oz/M.

New Product Review Summary – Big thanks to all of those that attended out New Product Review at Tapawingo last month. Thanks to Greg Parkinson and the staff at Tapawingo. It is an absolutely gorgeous facility with great food. If you have any questions about the new offerings from Bayer or Precision please let me know. We may try to do this again when the weather turns this Fall.

Mole Activity-Several Calls On Increased Mole Activity
-Moles Eat 70% to 80% of their body weight daily.
-Moles mate in the Spring and produce a litter of 2 to 5.
-Primary source of food is earthworms.
-Moles can dig 18 feet in an hour.
-Moles can travel through tunnels at 80 feet a minute.
-I sell Talparid and it works, but not like a shovel.

Tornado Rolls Through Ruth Park Golf Course – Kenny Morgan stands amidst the damage from this morning’s tornado that ran through University City and Ruth Park Golf Course. Kenny is the Assistant Superintendent and works along MVGCSA Legend, Don Humphrey. I spoke with Don this morning and he said they lost around 15 trees. The bulk of the damage happened along the entrance road to the maintenance facility. There is no doubt that Kenny and Don will have “The Park” cleaned up in no time at all. Best of luck and be careful guys.

The sun is actually poking out here this evening as this edition of the Rub comes to a close. Hopefully this sunny trend and gradual warm up continues. Go Cards and go Blues. As always thank you for your continued business and support for GreensPro. Oh yeah and pizza without beer, a margarita without salt, Caddyshack without Bill Murray, Sonny without Cher, Hootie without the blowfish….get well Eldrick. Catch you all soon.

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