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Results: 37 Article(s) Found.

FieldScout TCM 500 NDVI Turf Color

With Our Turf Tools, the Grass is Always Greener

Learn how turf color can be a significant indicator of turf health, and learn the tools needed to assess turf color.

Westminster National Golf Course conserves water and saves money with the FieldScout® TDR 350 Soil Moisture Meter!

Ryan Kraushofer, certified golf course superintendent at Westminster National Golf Course in Westminster, Maryland, discusses how Spectrum® Technologies FieldScout® TDR 350 Soil Moisture Meter has helped improve irrigation methods at his course and improved playability on greens that were performing poorly.

IR Sensor for TDR350

Benefits of Infrared Temperature Sensors to Avoid Overheated Turf

Learn the factors that affect turf firmness on golf courses, and how to get a more firm and durable turf.

bill schmit

Bill Schmit

Sawgrass Country Club gets real-time weather conditions at their course thanks to the new WatchDog® 3250!

Bill Schmit, golf course maintenance superintendent at Sawgrass Country Club in Florida, shares with Spectrum® Technologies his experiences using our measurement technology at his golf course.

How to Treat Turf for Dollar Spot and Bluegrass Weevil

Learn how to protect your turf from common pests and problems like Dollar Spot and Bluegrass Weevil.

Factors That Affect Golf Course Turf Firmness

Learn the factors that affect turf firmness on golf courses, and how to get a more firm and durable turf.

All About the Green: How Research Investment by Government and Golf Industry Benefited Industry Sustainability

Learn how research investment made by the government and golf industry benefited and enabled greater sustainability for turf the management industry.

mark beitel

Flying Horse North Golf Club makes better irrigation decisions with the WatchDog® 3250 and SpecConnect™!

Mark Beitel Mark Beitel, golf course superintendent at Flying Horse North Golf Club in Colorado Springs, CO, discusses his experience using a variety of Spectrum® Technologies Watchdog® products and accessories at his golf course.

Does Your Turf Have a Fever?

Staying aware of canopy temperatures and root zone temperatures can help ensure healthy turf, especially when using data-driven equipment like infrared temperature sensors.

degreedays

Degree Days: Why They Matter for Turf Managers

Degree days measure how warm or cold it has been in a certain spot over a 24-hour timeframe. For turf managers, this information can be critical for scheduling effective weed and pest chemical treatments; insects are most likely to be problematic for plants above 50 degrees Fahrenheit and below 86 degrees Fahrenhei

TDR 250

The Golf Course of the Future

Golf course superintendents are always looking for ways to improve their course and playing conditions. At Spectrum® Technologies, we are too. Since 1987, we have been pioneering measurement technology and its application for the turf and agriculture markets. Through our focus on measurement technology in the agriculture industry, we have innovated measurement tools to improve decision- making for turf managers.

Winter Turf Tips

Winter turf injury is very common and can be caused by a variety of different factors. Winter disease, freezing and turf kill can combine to cause permanent damage. As winter approaches, it is important to take steps to care for golf courses with warm and cool season turfgrasses.

Jul 01, 2021 03:09 PM

Dollar Spot: How Did It Get Here and How To Prevent It

What are the circular spots showing up on your turf? It could be dollar spot. Golf course superintendents understand the challenge of preventing dollar spot on the course. Through the continuous monitoring of a course’s conditions, you can avoid environments that encourage dollar spot growth.

3250_Weather_Station

May 01, 2021 02:52 PM

New Research Suggests Treating Annual Bluegrass Weevil During Its Peak Density

The annual bluegrass weevil (ABW) is one of the most troublesome insects for golf course superintendents in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic U.S. And according to GCM Magazine, the pest is spreading to new regions in southern parts of Quebec and Ontario in Canada, western North Carolina, and eastern Ohio. At the same time, more populations of the ABW are becoming resistant to currently available insecticides.

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Apr 01, 2021 02:00 PM

Moving Beyond the Measurement: How to Collect and Mine Data

No two golf courses are alike. Likewise, golf course superintendents know that different areas of their golf course may need more, or less, water depending upon different variables.

watchdog3000

Rain Stations Provide Crucial Microclimate Rainfall Measurements for Golf Course Management

Rain events can have a significant impact on irrigation scheduling and turf management. It rained last night. Where and how much did it rain? How will this alter the irrigation schedules on your golf course? Site-specific rainfall and temperature data is useful for tracking turf disease and insect pressure. Placing a WatchDog® Wireless Rain+Temp Station or a WatchDog® Rain Station in multiple microclimates can result in more effective decisions.

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Site-Specific Management: What is it? How can it save costs and improve playability? And, why is it important?

Site-specific management, which is sometimes also referred to as precision turf management, refers to the use of tools that collect data to provide information about specific areas of the golf course, based on GPS inputs, to help superintendents better plan for the care of turfgrass and know when, where, how much and how often they need to apply product or irrigate.

Using an IPM Program to Manage Turf Pests

An Integrated Pest Management program, built on scientific data and best cultural practices, can provide turf managers with a manual in how to manage the pests, whether they come in the form of insects or disease. There are some pests that are more common problems for golf course managers.

Soil Moisture Meters Lead to Healthier Turf

The level of moisture in golf course greens or in a sports turf field is an important and highly variable component that can affect a course or playing field’s environment and quality. Modern measuring technology has enabled turf managers to better manage the health of their putting greens or turf playing fields.

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May 24, 2017 08:51 PM

Spectrum Offers Solar Panel Option for WatchDog Pups

Spectrum Technologies, Inc., the leading manufacturer of plant measurement technology, has announced that it will now offer a solar panel package to power its line of WatchDog Pups.

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Doc Green

Nov 07, 2014 09:00 AM

Measuring Soil Compaction

Are your crops showing signs of nutrient deficiency, but not improving following a sidedress application of fertilizer? There may be a hidden infliction below your field – soil compaction. Soil compaction has a long list of possible causes, and the effects on your crops are sometimes difficult to interpret. Excessive pressure on the surface of your field will compress the soil...

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Doc Green

Oct 21, 2014 09:00 AM

Importance of Measurement in Agriculture

Agricultural plays a large role in our society; employing about one third of the world’s available work-force, globally. Cultivated land use has increased four-fold over the past two centuries but has remained fairly constant in the US for the past few decades. Efficient use of this land is essential to achieving key goals ...

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Doc Green

Oct 02, 2014 11:00 AM

Wireless Mesh Networks

It seems that wireless networks are everywhere these days, whether cellular networks for phones, or Wi-Fi networks for laptops, tablets, and smartphones. For plants, wireless sensor networks are becoming more popular, and most sensor networks are mesh networks. But what is a mesh network?

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Doc Green

Sep 15, 2014 01:00 PM

Integrated Web Solutions

We live in a connected society where data is everywhere. Access to mountains of real-time information as well as statistical data on just about anything can be easily found. Still, data in its raw form does little to help make life easier. When data is combined with other sources and presented in a simple and intuitive fashion, however, one can begin to see value....

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Doc Green

Sep 02, 2014 03:00 PM

Light Measurement

As the driving force for photosynthesis, light is fundamentally important to plant production – whether for a field crop or for a greenhouse. Plant rooting, growth, and development are all significantly influenced by both the quantity and the quality of light. Sometimes a grower can control light levels, and sometimes a grower can only control the plant or crop spacing....

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Doc Green

Aug 21, 2014 03:00 PM

Effects of Arid Environments on Crops

Whether working on a farm, greenhouse, grove, or orchard, arid environments present a challenge for monitoring the use of the most prized input: water. The availability of water in arid regions dictates not only the varieties planted, but also the management practices applied. ....

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Doc Green

Aug 01, 2014 03:00 PM

Smarter Irrigation Decisions

It’s no secret that water is an increasingly valuable resource. Combine that with the ever-growing human population and it’s a no brainer that we will have to get smarter with our irrigation practices. As I mentioned in my last post, water consumption has doubled in the last 50 years, and will only continue to do so. To help combat these issues, there are ways to irrigate plants, turf, and crops while continuing to increase yields and create better playing surfaces. ....

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Doc Green

Jul 07, 2014 05:30 PM

Efficient Irrigation

Worldwide water consumption has nearly doubled in the past 50 years to the point where approximately 2.8 billion people live in water-scarce areas. By 2030, it is expected that nearly half of the world’s population will live in water-stressed areas. Urban and energy uses will have a heavy impact on water available to agriculture....

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Doc Green

Jun 13, 2014 02:35 PM

Monitoring Salinity

When people think of the relationship between salts and crops, the impression is that salt is harmful to plant growth. However, it must be remembered that whenever we add fertilizer, we are adding salt to the soil. So, when soil salinity is measured, it may be a case of too much or too little. If salinity is too high....

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Doc Green

Jun 02, 2014 01:35 PM

Global Water Issues

It seems as long as drinking water is available that the public would not think there is a water crisis today . . . however, one exists on a global scale. As the World Water Vision report indicates, “It is a crisis of managing water so badly that billions of people - and the environment - suffer badly.”....

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Doc Green

May 22, 2014 01:35 PM

Telemetry Options / Advantages

Many growers have multiple sites spread out over the county, or further! On the other hand, some growers have one site but use multiple weather measurement stations due to farm size or terrain. A unique telemetry solution should be tailored to the grower’s needs....

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Doc Green

Apr 29, 2014 04:35 PM

Monitoring Turf Health

Turf health can be determined by the color, quality, and consistency of the turfgrass. In general, the early “warning” stages can be identified when the greenness of the turf begins to decline. It’s easy to see when your turf is no longer healthy, but oftentimes, once your eyes recognize that something is wrong, it is too late...

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Doc Green

Apr 15, 2014 01:23 PM

How To Use Evapotranspiration (ET)

Evapotranspiration (ET) is not a new concept in modern agriculture; it was developed a long time ago. In the last few decades, however, its use has increased to improve the efficiency of irrigation management by many growers. Before talking about how to use the ET, growers first need to understand what ET is...

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Doc Green

Mar 31, 2014 02:35 PM

Wireless Communications

A decade ago who would have thought that viewing your farm weather station’s data on your phone was possible? Or that sending alerts via texts, emails, or phone calls to multiple contacts would be widely used in agriculture? Technological innovations in wireless technology open the door for timely decisions to improve yield and quality....

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Doc Green

Mar 13, 2014 02:35 PM

Technology in Developing Countries

“To measure is to know” is an expression that has been taken to heart by many North American and European growers. Applied agriculture and horticulture in these markets has become increasingly scientific – from precision agriculture....

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Doc Green

Feb 28, 2014 03:35 PM

Monitoring Plant Greenness

Nitrogen is one of the most important nutrients necessary for healthy plant growth. Although there are laboratory techniques that can quantify plant nitrogen, these can be time-consuming and cost-prohibitive to perform on a regular basis. Because nitrogen is an important component...

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Doc Green

Feb 14, 2014 02:30 PM

Turf Firmness

Fast and firm play... Who doesn’t want fewer ball marks on the greens, longer drives (ball rolls and/or bounces further), approaches for chip and run play, and bunkers that won’t swallow your ball. It also makes for a more interesting game. But what does “fast and firm” mean...

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