tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis

Its March this week and changes are a coming...  So.. I thought I would get a few things off the ol chest so to speak...

 NO... not that sort of change!

So it's just appropriate to have that full catch up with where its all at...

MLSN...
Looks like the 'Beast' is awakening... Good ol Jason Haines the new 'Lets talk about your Nutrients' Super Hero is doing the rounds and making people listen...

for the real deal you NEED to read his Blog,, start early and trawl through, its well worth following the story.. http://www.turfhacker.com/ Then you need to sign up to this : http://www.subscribepage.com/mlsn and READ.... Fill your mind.. https://www.paceturf.org/

Now if you know what MLSN means.. really I mean not pretending to sound clever cos its not.. (clever) ..

then you understand that it actually means only applying the nutrients you grass surface needs based on GP and what N you apply... Bloody simple tbh..

 

And it's not SLAN.. .. Okay... It's NOT the same....

So the 'word' is a few 'interested parties' over here are looking at the slow burning talk and intent for a few to work to MLSN and it appears they don't like...... Awaiting the Blag Blarney & Bluster that comes out ref how its all rubbish... yada yada yada

So whats the best solution?... Set up Testing for everyone and anyone... Hahahhahaaaa. OK we tried to get Labs over here interested but they either didn't bother to reply... repeatedly.. or they were so costly it just was too prohibitive... So we have a Lab in US being used by others who is reasonably priced even with the postage costs... So thats it... We have MLSN Testing a go-go...
Wonder what the ol boys gonna think about that when they realise....... Ooops..

Iron & Soil Ochre
This is a 'Thing'.. So one of my many obsessions is Iron.. I keep saying it presents itself at all sorts of problem sites.. What do we do as an Industry... WE KEEP CHUCKING IT ON.. Your latest Spring Warm Up Products? 8% Fe and a mighty Rate per sq.m too.... No wonder it Greens up FFS!

 Now when you get excess Fe in solution and it oxidises... THIS is what happens

 And if it is able to do this in a Pipe. then I am sure as hell everything I am seeing is the self same thing happening in the soil

SOIL OCHRING... Its a Thing.... Stop it!!

Soil Iron & Bovine TB
So, aligned to all the madness above it became blatantly clear that there was a potential link between Bovine TB and Soil Iron.. Ok we tried to talk to a few people but no one.. I mean NO ONE.. was going to listen

We tried but The Scientists kept saying there is no way it can survive 'in the soil' it has to be direct contact transfer...

So we were shuffled off and they carried on.. One of the contacts went on to do a study using trackers of Cows and Badgers to guage how much contact they were getting... Guess what... Not a bloody thing!!! It seems that Cows and Badgers don't really socialise, rarely crossing paths within fields, each keeping away from each other... Well if thats so and they aint coming into contact then how the hell are Cows catching TB

Well here's a novel thought for ya all... What if Brock and Cows are catching TB from the soil!!!?? not giving it to each other... Naaagh that isn't possibl;e... The bloody Scientists told us..
Be afraid Mr Brock.... Be afraid.. Run for ya lives cos they gonna keep blaming you....

'Pulled'Chemicals..
WTF... This letter appeard this week.. and the reaction was like..

So it seems there is either some confusion or smoke and mirror actions as to why certain products were pulled.. seems there is no defined line on this which not surprisingly Social Media went mad

So come on people.. The Truth please rather than leaving everyone sat between 2 opposing 'Truths' 

Water Quality
What are we doing.. You have to be Certified to apply Products.. Your Sprayer has to have an MOT now to ensure its up to scratch.. There are articles that all talk about how to apply properly.. And yet NO ONE seems to be talking about the most important bit of the whole operation....
There's been loads of grief, stress, sleepless nights and for a good few with products not doing what they supposed to do.. and boy have there been some products slung out there to try to knock just Fuzz on the head..

Now when we spray everyone sort of assumes that the 95 odd% bit of what they are applying is nice crystal clear eau naturale... Well unless you collecting it from the sky...

 There is a good chance your water is rough as F.. Hard as, full of Salts and pH up around 7.5 plus...

Have none of you heard of Half Life? Alkaline Hydrolysis? Cation Smothering?
It ain't just the pH that affects, Carbonates, Bicarbonates, EC/TDS ... ALL of these are affecting what you apply!

And then it seems that some who are using Buffers may not be using them properly.. and it certainly seems no one is being told the full implications... Why would they?.. Sell ya it twice rather than have you apply once well...

Bio Soil Products
They are all on it now.... read back 2 years.. said this was coming.... Bio this, Stimulate that.. Our Seaweed is by far superior... BULLSHIT!!

Profiteering? 

 AAAAAArrrrrrggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Rubber Crumb
So there is lots of jibber jabber coming out about numbers of Goalies sadly suffering Lymphoma Cancer yet again and the ol Propaganda Machine swings back into life... No the numbers are not exceptional at all.. Coincidence... Its all safe they are talking rubbish...  Rubber Crumb may contain nasty things BUT it sits there locked in the rubber..
Well they sort of haven't thought about one bit...... Its alive

You see this sterile manufactured environment of plastic fibres, sand and rubber is a PERFECT environment for Bacteria and Fungi to feast of all that sweat, skin, sugary drink spill, spit and.. Carbon..

Yes Soil has Bacteria and Fungi as well but it has evolved over Millennia and there are balances in soil generally stopping anything getting carried away
And lets face it.. Rubber Crumb is such a metal and Hydrocarbon laden Time Bomb it only needs a few rampant bugs to speed up volatisation and.........

dum vita est, spes est

It's always too long between the jabber, I know, but there has been quite a lot going on you see.... Why am I always saying that?.. This has taken over a month from starting to finish

Just over a year ago I was unknowingly walking round with something inside me.. It was growing away, hiding and manipulating the environment and my body so it wouldn't be spotted and attacked until it was too strong. But then it just got a little too big and boy did I notice..

2 days before Christmas I got told by a Doctor what I already knew as I could see it in all of their eyes, every single one of them... from the GP to the A&E Nurses to Scanning Staff and it fell to this young Lady Doc to tell me those worst words you could ever hear..... And the pity in their eyes was probably the most scariest thing of all

And so I was costing the NHS an absolute fortune yet again... My blood adding to the Festive Fun Factor as they couldn't just dive in if they wanted, would need time to get my blood to a place where they could operate... So it was decided that New Years Eve was the day, bloods permitting... Now that's a way to completely screw a Christmas I can tell ya..

And then like only a really good Chemist can they smashed my body up with loads of nasty compounds until it felt like an empty shell, just a breathing walking blob.....

But here I am a whole year later and ...... All clear.. You will never know how much those words mean until you hear them.. for real..

So that's been a little distracting what can I say.. now I am smart enough to know that mucking about with soil and things when your immune system is smashed to pieces by nasty chemicals is not really a good plan plus to be honest ... I really didn't have the energy and for some days... maybe I just couldn't have given a shit.

But I did do something just to be occupied mentally .. most since tbh but a few during

Played with some Black Grass

Tracked some Iron

Raced some Fescue against Poa

Found places that are supposed to be sterile environments are actually the complete opposite

Got to see where Iron Bacteria are most active in a soil profile

Raced some Seed with Mycco Dressing against some without 

Chased a lot of these about

Tried to see if I could blow the doors off this

Set up some Water Testing for pals who are paying a price they didn't realise because of their water supply and my absolute favourite.....

Set up with a pal some really cool MLSN testing.

So I been doing a bit.. but more of all that when its time......... some is good, some is not so, some is down right interesting if hunches are right.... but mainly its all been about getting better.............