Piper and Oakley wrote that "there is nothing mysteriously beneficial in their formulas" and that mixed fertilizers are "extensively advertised" but "are not to be recommended." Arthur wrote that soil testing is a "commercial gimmick" and that fine turf with clippings collected needs only "a little nitrogen in spring, no phosphates, and very little potash." I recommend an article I wrote that attempts to explain this in the context of #MLSN.

Blog posts discussed are:

- https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/very-generally-used-not-to-be-recommended/
- https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/jim-arthur-mlsn-and-precision-fertilization/

• Read more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/
• Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/
• Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/

Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/

I explain why I recommend collecting soil nutrient samples to a 10 cm (4 inch depth). I also discuss the importance of repeated soil sampling in order to check the change in test results over time. I look at a photo gallery from the 2025 Danish Golf Championship.

Posts discussed include:

• https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/recommended-soil-sampling-depth-for-turfgrass/
• https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/a-pesticide-free-golf-course/

PACE Turf post about Vixen 7x stand loupes: https://www.paceturf.org/memberedition/where-to-find-small-magnifying-loupes

• Read more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/
• Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/
• Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/

Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/

My Short Grammar of Greenkeeping book is one of the required books for turf class at Horry-Georgetown Technical College in South Carolina. Professor Jim Huntoon joined me to discuss the book, why he uses it for teaching, and how the internship (or summer cooperative work experience) program works.

• We discussed this post: https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/i-wrote-a-book-and-you-can-read-it-this-weekend/
• Get your own copy of the Short Grammar at https://leanpub.com/short_grammar_of_greenkeeping
• For more about the turf program at Horry-Georgetown, see https://www.hgtc.edu/academics/academic-departments/engineering-technologies-sports-turf-management/golf-sports-turf-management.html
• See more from Professor Huntoon at https://www.instagram.com/huntoonjmsc/, https://www.instagram.com/hgtcgolfsportsturf/, and https://x.com/huntoonjmsc

• Read more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/
• Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/
• Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/

• Turf Without Borders show page: https://turfwb.asianturfgrass.com/
• International Turfgrass Society: https://turfsociety.com/

Janne Lehto from Hirsala Golf in Finland attended the 15th International Turfgrass Research Conference (ITRC) in Japan. We discussed the heat and humidity in Japan during summer, saunas, his golfing experiences in Japan, and the ITRC.

The blog post with information about heat and humidity is: https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/japan-hot-humid-latitude/
Read more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/
Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/
Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/

• Turf Without Borders show page: https://turfwb.asianturfgrass.com/
• International Turfgrass Society: https://turfsociety.com/

John Forrest and Jeff Austen joined me from Western Australia to discuss layers in the rootzone, the educational system and apprenticeships, and sand.

• We looked at photos of layers in this post: https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/layers-in-the-rootzone/
• Read more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/
• Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/
• Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/

• Turf Without Borders show page: https://turfwb.asianturfgrass.com/
• International Turfgrass Society: https://turfsociety.com/

How do you compare sands to show to what degree one is finer or coarser than another? I've been trying to figure out an easy way to visualize this with comparison to reference materials. Adam Moeller joined me to discuss sands, Ksat, the coefficient of uniformity, particle sizes, and more.

• We discussed this blog post: https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/sands-coarse-fine/
• This is the Frankly Speaking episode with Norm Hummel that covers fine sands and coefficient of uniformity: https://www.turfnet.com/podcasts/rossi/hummel2/
• Read more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/
• Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/
• Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/

• Turf Without Borders show page: https://turfwb.asianturfgrass.com/
• International Turfgrass Society: https://turfsociety.com/

John Emerson is an extension agent for the University of Delaware who has completed a statewide soil sampling project from good performing turf across the state. We talked about this project, and about nutrient management of turfgrass more generally, in this episode.

• We discussed this post: https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/good-turf-bad-turf-and-mlsn/
• Read more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/
• Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/
• Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/

• Turf Without Borders show page: https://turfwb.asianturfgrass.com/
• International Turfgrass Society: https://turfsociety.com/

The D50 is a value that represents the median particle diameter in a sand. I calculated the D50 for 302 sands from around the world, and 15% of them are finer than the limit defined by the USGA Recommendations for a Method of Putting Green Construction.

Read about this at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/d50-median-sand-diameter/

• Read more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/
• Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/
• Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/

Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/