FertAdvisor

Marketing Extension with Michael Wolf

Michael Wolf holding a calf in the grassMy name is Michael Wolf, I am currently the Marketing Intern for UConn Extension and have been working on multiple projects focusing on growing our network and how we can continue to interact with the community. Extension is constantly growing our outreach through our various social media platforms where we advertise virtually all of the activities, we participate in. This is where you can find educational content related to our research and plenty of entertainment and enjoyment through our student-run pieces. Not only is UConn Extension focused on informing the community, but through developing our marketing efforts we are better able to provide those at the university with the proper channels needed to gather knowledge and build a platform to grow our skills.

Currently, one of my main focuses is working on our exciting new project called FertAdvisor. This program is an Apple and Android-friendly application that was developed by a group of faculty members in the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources to help homeowners better understand how to fertilize their turf, yard, and gardens.

Throughout the course of my internship, I look forward to promoting our programs through events such as Turf Grass Field Day (where turf grass professionals of all levels are provided the opportunity to learn about the cutting-edge research being done in lawn care, sports, and golf turf management), and helping to launch new marketing initiatives for UConn Extension to help promote our diversity, ingenuity, community, and impact. I am very excited to be working with Stacey Sterns and Vickie Wallace to complete all these tasks and look forward to learning from both of them through this process. Make sure to check out all our resources to keep your lawn picture-perfect this summer and stay tuned for YouTube videos and social media content to help turn you into a master gardener for years to come.

FertAdvisor App Available from UConn

FertAdvisor app informationDr. Jason Henderson, Associate Professor of Turfgrass and Soil Sciences at University of Connecticut, is the lead investigator of an ongoing, multiple year research project that has been evaluating conventional, organic, and pesticide-free management systems for athletic fields and home lawns. Other investigators involved with the project include Vickie Wallace, John Inguagiato, Karl Guillard, Steve Rackliffe, and Tom Morris. To date, two graduate students have completed research studies while collecting data on this project.

Dr. Henderson has been a champion of research that supports environmentally sound turf care practices. Besides collecting data on the various management regimes, Dr. Henderson and his team of collaborators set out to develop a smartphone app, FertAdvisor, that assists users in calculating the amount of lawn fertilizer required to properly fertilize turfgrass areas.

FertAdvisor is designed to provide users with a comprehensive tool that will help ensure accurate applications of fertilizer and reduce misapplications that can potentially damage turfgrass, waste fertilizer and/or pose environmental risk. The app has recommendations about application techniques, accurate calibration, fertilizer timing, and nitrogen source selection. Built-in calculators within the app help determine how much fertilizer will be needed to properly fertilize turfgrass areas, streamlining calibration calculations and calculating the amount of nitrogen, phosphate and potash that will be applied to the area based on the fertilizer selected.

Animations and videos guide turfgrass enthusiasts on how to take a soil sample, properly apply fertilizer using both drop and rotary spreaders, calibrate a fertilizer spreader, and calculate lawn surface area. Ten tips and tricks for managing cool-season lawns are also provided, in order to help homeowners make the right decisions for a healthy lawn.

FertAdvisor is available for both iPhone and android users. It’s easy to use and takes the guesswork out of lawn fertilizer applications.

Submitted by Vickie Wallace and Jason Henderson