With Our Turf Tools, the Grass is Always Greener
It’s time to go green at your course! One of the best indicators of turf quality is the chlorophyll content, which determines relative greenness and helps golf course superintendents and turf managers determine if turf is healthy. However, relying solely on eyesight to analyze turf can not only lead to inconsistencies, but cause superintendents to not properly identify when turf is under stress.
At Spectrum® Technologies, we are on a mission to help golf course superintendents and turf managers achieve healthy playable turf. Find out which measurement tools can help you achieve consistently green turf, protect your course and make more informed fertilization and irrigation decisions.
Diagnose Plant Health Based on Color
Traditionally turfgrass quality has been visually evaluated by human assessors based on a scale of 1 (dead grass) to 9 (perfect grass). However individual biases don’t make this method of assessment reliable, even for highly trained observers. Our FieldScout® TCM 500 NDVI Turf Color Meter uses technology based on research from Clemson University to measure reflected light from approximately a 3-inch (7.6 cm) diameter section of turfgrass. It also uses an internal light source to negate the effect of sunny versus cloudy conditions. Results from the meter can be displayed as NDVI, percent reflectance or as a user-adjustable grass index from 1 to 9. This information helps maintain consistent turf health throughout the course.
Quantify Turf Color and Quality From Your iPhone
What could be easier than identifying turf health from the convenience of your smart phone? Our FieldScout® GreenIndex+ Turf app allows superintendents to do just that by capturing turfgrass images with their smart phone camera (only available for iPhone), calculating the Dark Green Color Index (DGCI), and displaying a visual rating. Users can also customize the visual rating calculation for different species of grass and specific plots of land, and compare measurements to identify variability or trends in turf health across golf course greens and fairways. This makes it easier for golf course superintendents to stay aware of potential turf threats such as nitrogen deficiency, lack of water, compaction or the onset of diseases, and gives them the power to make informed decisions that protect turf and ultimately save money.
Start Using Technology to Maintain Top-Notch Turf!
Don’t continue to rely on outdated methods to evaluate the health of your turf. Make sure your turf is healthy, consistent and playable with advanced measurement technology. Contact Spectrum® Technologies today for more information on all of our measurement tools that provide more accurate data for better decision making.
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