Spectrum Technologies, Inc., the leading manufacturer of plant measurement technology, has announced the launch of the FieldScout TDR 350; the next generation to the TDR 300 series.

Enhancements to the TDR 350 include EC (Electrical Conductivity) measurement, turf surface temperature measurement, an improved easy to read, large backlit display, integrated Bluetooth, and internal GPS; in addition to offering the proven time-domain measurement technology that turf professionals have come to trust in the FieldScout TDR brand.

BTME 2018 will feature over 250 hours of education including the Turf Managers' Conference, over

Spectrum Technologies, Inc., the leading manufacturer of plant measurement technology, has announced the addition of two accessories for the FieldScout® TDR product line: Infrared Temperature Sensor and Rod Spacer.

The Infrared Sensor a ‘must have’ accessory for the TDR 350 and 150 models. With the Infrared Sensor, turf wilt can be predicted with higher accuracy. You can now easily correct a moisture deficit earlier and reduce heat stress to the green. Simply attach the sensor to the TDR 350 or 150 and begin to receive canopy and soil temperature readings in real-time

The moisture and nutrient status of your soil are key pieces of information for every grower or greenkeeper. Armed with this knowledge, you can precisely tailor your irrigation and fertilisation program to suit your crop's requirements – this leads to less wastage in terms of costs of inputs, and achieving optimum quality and yields.

Soil Moisture (Volumetric Water Content)

The volumetric water content (VWC) is the ratio of the volume of water compared to the total soil volume. At saturation, the volumetric water content (expressed as a percentage) will equal the per cent pore space of the soil.

In-field soil moisture content will range from air-dry to saturation. However, plants cannot extract all the water in a saturated soil and can extract none of the water in an airdry soil. Instead, two other moisture content levels, field capacity and permanent wilting point are often used to indicate the upper and lower limit of plant available water.

Chris Haspell, Course Manager at Castle Stuart Golf Club, first saw the FieldScout TDR300 Soil Moisture Meter at the American Superintendents Golf Show. Castle Stuart is a links course on a pure sand base which opened in 2009. Located in Inverness in the Highlands the course has a picture perfect setting in winter and in a normal year there is limited rainfall.

Chris wanted to invest in the TDR300 for “water conservation and the need to keep the sands at Castle Stuart from drying down completely”. The meter was purchased in April 2011 from EnviroMonitors. Since his purchase Chris has been “using the meter nearly every time I go out

Chris Haspell, Course Manager at Castle Stuart Golf Club, first saw the FieldScout TDR300 Soil Moisture Meter at the American Superintendents Golf Show. Castle Stuart is a links course on a pure sand base which opened in 2009. Located in Inverness in the Highlands the course has a picture perfect setting in winter and in a normal year there is limited rainfall.

Chris wanted to invest in the TDR300 for “water conservation and the need to keep the sands at Castle Stuart from drying down completely”. The meter was purchased in April 2011 from EnviroMonitors. Since his purchase Chris has been “using the meter nearly every time I go out

Glenn Kirby used the FieldScout TDR100 Soil Moisture Meter in his previous role as Assistant Courses Manager at The London Golf Club. Glenn comments that the two TDR100s were “originally purchased to help be more efficient in our watering practices but found that moisture content was very indicative of organic matter content and believe long term it would help us evaluate and manage how we deal with Organic Matter build up”.

From a young age Glenn has been involved in sportsturf starting in Cricket pitch maintenance and with education and time has evolved to Golf Course maintenance. Golf seemed to offer much more job variety and career progression and in November 2012 Glenn started the position of Course Manager at Hockley Golf Club in Hampshire on the outskirts of Winchester. Hockley has ambitious plans to develop the course to fulfil its full potential and aspires to be considered amongst the very

Paul Andrews, Irrigation Technician, at Wisley Golf Club began training at college in horticulture however after a placement at his local golf club has been in the greenkeeping industry for 15 years. In Spring 2012 Paul purchased from EnviroMonitors three FieldScout TDR300 Soil Moisture meters and one SC900 Soil Compaction meter for improved water monitoring of The Wisley courses. They have found the units to be quick and simple to use. Wisley Golf Club is a private members club in Surrey which opened in 1991. The club is situated 30 mins from the west end on the A3 and M25 junction with the River Wey running through part of the course and the Wey navigation along one side. The soil type for the site ranges from river sands through to clay.

Paul advises the TDR300’s were purchased for Wisley to “better manage the water

Daniel Lightfoot is Course Manager at Bearwood Lakes Golf Club. His aim when searching for a soil moisture meter was to improve turf performance in problem areas across the course, save his team time, and enhance the club’s quality and reputation. Bearwood Lakes was established in 1996 and has since been ranked number 3 in the UK & Ireland’s Top 100 Golf Clubs and recognised in the US as Best Modern Course by Golf Week. Keeping a high level of quality is important for the future success of the club.

Daniel came across EnviroMonitors during an internet search for soil moisture meters in 2009. After reading about the product and its benefits of robustness and ease of use a FieldScout TDR200 handheld Soil Moisture Meter was purchased for Bearwood Lakes. Whilst the TDR200 is no longer in the FieldScout TDR range, greenkeepers and course managers can choose between the TDR100 and TDR300

St Annes Old Links Golf Club has been established since 1901 on land which since 1886 had been home to the Lytham & St. Anne’s Golf Club. The club is located in the North West of England about a mile from the Royal Lytham Open 2012 venue.

Stuart Hogg is the Course Manager at St Annes Old Links and has been at the club for over 8 years. Stuart controls the budgets and purchasing of equipment, and has the responsibility of maintaining the greens, fairways and even the car park! The course has 7 full time staff and 4 part time staff depending on the time of year. Stuart started a career in greenkeeping as his “ideal job would be one which he could still play football on a Saturday afternoon!”. He started a Youth Training Scheme job at a championship course local to home and has been developing his knowledge, understanding and skills ever since.

Stuart had used a Davis