Turfgrass Epistemology

Travis Shaddox

This podcast explores how we know what we know about turfgrass science. If you are a lawn care operator, sport field manager, sod producer, golf superintendent, or a home owner, this podcast provides evidence-based information to help you better manage your turfgrass.

  1. 3d ago

    S4 E41 Tinfoil Turfgrass - Urea is a Problem...and Other Nonsense.

    Is it really time to stop using urea fertilizer? In this Tinfoil Turfgrass, I review the claims made in a popular YouTube video and compare them with peer-reviewed turfgrass research to separate evidence from misinformation. Discover what the science actually says about urea, nitrogen fertilizers, volatilization, and best management practices for healthy turf. #Urea #LawnCare #Turfgrass #Nitrogen #Fertilizer #GolfCourseManagement #TurfScience #FactCheck #Agronomy #lawncaretips  📌 https://www.gofundme.com/f/TurfgrassEpistemology Thank you for being part of this community and for supporting evidence-based turfgrass science. Join Turfgrass Epistemology to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-UZnHkJhAmARDZ4YoHnc_A/join Voicemail: 859-444-4234 Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/turfgrass-epistemology/id1717271379 Spotify Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/1cTpdrChToeEFAOX9wkXFI iHeart Radio Podcast https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1323-turfgrass-epistemology-129043524/ Podbean https://turfgrassepistemology.podbean.com/ Online consulting Calendly.com/TravisShaddox Twitter Twitter.com/TravisShaddox Email TravisShaddox@gmail.com Turfgrass Programs and Extension Service Information: https://www.usna.usda.gov/assets/images/as_pdf_image/LandGrantColleges.pdf Diagnostic Criteria for Turfgrass B******t Disorder:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y_GeVPQ237pzm0ImTP4eVij6I9D0PHPn/view

  2. Jul 22

    S4 E39 When Were Wetting Agents First Used for Turfgrasses?

    Can wetting agents improve water movement in golf course turf? In this video, we explore the classic paper "Turfgrass Improvement with a New Water" by Robert A. Moore (1957) and examine how wetting agents help water penetrate the soil, reduce localized dry spots, and promote healthier turfgrass. Discover why this pioneering research continues to influence modern golf course management and turfgrass science. Paper: Turfgrass Improvement with a New Water Author: Robert A. Moore Year: 1957 #Turfgrass #GolfCourseManagement #WettingAgents #SoilScience #GolfSuperintendent #USGA #Agronomy #TurfManagement #GolfCourse #TurfgrassScience 📌 https://www.gofundme.com/f/TurfgrassEpistemology Thank you for being part of this community and for supporting evidence-based turfgrass science. Join Turfgrass Epistemology to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-UZnHkJhAmARDZ4YoHnc_A/join Voicemail: 859-444-4234 Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/turfgrass-epistemology/id1717271379 Spotify Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/1cTpdrChToeEFAOX9wkXFI iHeart Radio Podcast https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1323-turfgrass-epistemology-129043524/ Podbean https://turfgrassepistemology.podbean.com/ Online consulting Calendly.com/TravisShaddox Twitter Twitter.com/TravisShaddox Email TravisShaddox@gmail.com Turfgrass Programs and Extension Service Information: https://www.usna.usda.gov/assets/images/as_pdf_image/LandGrantColleges.pdf Diagnostic Criteria for Turfgrass B******t Disorder:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y_GeVPQ237pzm0ImTP4eVij6I9D0PHPn/view

  3. Jul 16

    S4 E38 Did Your Brain Decide Before You Did?

    Did your brain make your decision before you became aware of it? In this video, we explore the groundbreaking neuroscience study that found brain activity can predict a person's choice seconds before conscious awareness, and what it means for free will. Paper: Unconscious Determinants of Free Decisions in the Human Brain (2008) Authors: Chun Siong Soon, Marcel Brass, Hans-Jochen Heinze, and John-Dylan Haynes #FreeWill #Neuroscience #BrainScience #DecisionMaking #Psychology #CognitiveScience #science  📌 https://www.gofundme.com/f/TurfgrassEpistemology Thank you for being part of this community and for supporting evidence-based turfgrass science. Join Turfgrass Epistemology to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-UZnHkJhAmARDZ4YoHnc_A/join Voicemail: 859-444-4234 Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/turfgrass-epistemology/id1717271379 Spotify Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/1cTpdrChToeEFAOX9wkXFI iHeart Radio Podcast https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1323-turfgrass-epistemology-129043524/ Podbean https://turfgrassepistemology.podbean.com/ Online consulting Calendly.com/TravisShaddox Twitter Twitter.com/TravisShaddox Email TravisShaddox@gmail.com Turfgrass Programs and Extension Service Information: https://www.usna.usda.gov/assets/images/as_pdf_image/LandGrantColleges.pdf Diagnostic Criteria for Turfgrass B******t Disorder:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y_GeVPQ237pzm0ImTP4eVij6I9D0PHPn/view

  4. Jul 14

    S4 E37 Your Brain Decided Before You Knew

    Did Benjamin Libet's famous 1983 experiment prove that your brain decides before you do? In this episode, we examine Libet, Gleason, Wright, & Pearl (1983), "Time of Conscious Intention to Act in Relation to Onset of Cerebral Activity (Readiness-Potential): The Unconscious Initiation of a Freely Voluntary Act." We'll explain the readiness potential, what the study actually found, common misconceptions, and what it does—and does not—tell us about free will, consciousness, and human decision-making. #Libet #FreeWill #Neuroscience #Psychology #Consciousness #ReadinessPotential #Science #CriticalThinking #BrainScience #TurfgrassEpistemology 📌 https://www.gofundme.com/f/TurfgrassEpistemology Thank you for being part of this community and for supporting evidence-based turfgrass science. Join Turfgrass Epistemology to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-UZnHkJhAmARDZ4YoHnc_A/join Voicemail: 859-444-4234 Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/turfgrass-epistemology/id1717271379 Spotify Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/1cTpdrChToeEFAOX9wkXFI iHeart Radio Podcast https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1323-turfgrass-epistemology-129043524/ Podbean https://turfgrassepistemology.podbean.com/ Online consulting Calendly.com/TravisShaddox Twitter Twitter.com/TravisShaddox Email TravisShaddox@gmail.com Turfgrass Programs and Extension Service Information: https://www.usna.usda.gov/assets/images/as_pdf_image/LandGrantColleges.pdf Diagnostic Criteria for Turfgrass B******t Disorder:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y_GeVPQ237pzm0ImTP4eVij6I9D0PHPn/view

  5. Jul 9

    S4 E36 Appeal to Authority: Why Smart People Make Bad Decisions

    In this episode of Turfgrass Epistemology, we examine Stanley Milgram's classic paper, Behavioral Study of Obedience (1963), and explore how authority influences our beliefs and decisions. Why do turf managers, consultants, and consumers often accept claims because a professor, university, or industry expert said them? Learn how the logical fallacy of Appeal to Authority can lead us to substitute credentials for evidence—and why scientific claims should be evaluated by data, not status. Paper Discussed: Milgram, S. (1963). Behavioral Study of Obedience. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 67, 371–378. #AppealToAuthority #StanleyMilgram #CriticalThinking #LogicalFallacies #TurfgrassEpistemology #Science #EvidenceBasedManagement #GolfCourseManagement #Agronomy #Skepticism 📌 https://www.gofundme.com/f/TurfgrassEpistemology Thank you for being part of this community and for supporting evidence-based turfgrass science. Join Turfgrass Epistemology to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-UZnHkJhAmARDZ4YoHnc_A/join Voicemail: 859-444-4234 Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/turfgrass-epistemology/id1717271379 Spotify Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/1cTpdrChToeEFAOX9wkXFI iHeart Radio Podcast https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1323-turfgrass-epistemology-129043524/ Podbean https://turfgrassepistemology.podbean.com/ Online consulting Calendly.com/TravisShaddox Twitter Twitter.com/TravisShaddox Email TravisShaddox@gmail.com Turfgrass Programs and Extension Service Information: https://www.usna.usda.gov/assets/images/as_pdf_image/LandGrantColleges.pdf Diagnostic Criteria for Turfgrass B******t Disorder:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y_GeVPQ237pzm0ImTP4eVij6I9D0PHPn/view

  6. Jul 8

    S4 E35 Why We Believe Things That Aren't True - Part 1

    In this episode of Turfgrass Epistemology, we examine one of the most influential scientific papers ever published: Judgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases by Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman (1974). This landmark article introduced the concepts of representativeness, availability heuristics, and anchoring—mental shortcuts that help us make decisions but can also lead to systematic errors in judgment. These cognitive biases help explain why anecdotes, testimonials, and memorable success stories often outweigh scientific evidence in turfgrass management, agriculture, business, and everyday life. Why do people conclude that a fertilizer, biostimulant, wetting agent, or soil amendment works after a single positive experience? Why do traditional practices persist even when research fails to support them? Tversky and Kahneman provide the psychological foundation for understanding these questions. Whether you're a golf course superintendent, sports turf manager, lawn care professional, agronomist, researcher, or simply interested in critical thinking, this paper remains essential reading more than 50 years after its publication. Paper Discussed: Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1974). Judgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases. Science, 185(4157), 1124–1131. #TurfgrassEpistemology #CriticalThinking #Science #CognitiveBias #DanielKahneman #AmosTversky #Heuristics #AvailabilityHeuristic #ConfirmationBias #Turfgrass #Agronomy #EvidenceBasedManagement  Become a member of Turfgrass Epistemology and support turfgrass research: www.youtube.com/@TurfgrassEpistemology/join Voicemail: 859-444-4234 Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/turfgrass-epistemology/id1717271379 Spotify Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/1cTpdrChToeEFAOX9wkXFI iHeart Radio Podcast https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1323-turfgrass-epistemology-129043524/ Podbean https://turfgrassepistemology.podbean.com/ Online consulting Calendly.com/TravisShaddox Twitter Twitter.com/TravisShaddox Email TravisShaddox@gmail.com Turfgrass Programs and Extension Service Information: https://www.usna.usda.gov/assets/images/as_pdf_image/LandGrantColleges.pdf

4.8
out of 5
25 Ratings

About

This podcast explores how we know what we know about turfgrass science. If you are a lawn care operator, sport field manager, sod producer, golf superintendent, or a home owner, this podcast provides evidence-based information to help you better manage your turfgrass.