{"podcast":{"title":"The EarthWorks Podcast","slug":"the-earthworks-podcast-1242534","podcast_index_feed_id":1242534,"rss_url":"https://www.spreaker.com/show/4387864/episodes/feed","website_url":"http://www.EarthWorksTurf.com","image_url":"https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4aa8417ff0c7a8c332410722e31debce.jpg","author":"EarthWorks","episode_count":321,"summary":"The EarthWorks Podcast is a series of interviews and conversations hosted by many of the EarthWorks agronomists, featuring friends from the turf industry. Interviews include noted golf course superintendents, industry experts, agronomists and business people. These conversations are designed to inform and entertain. EarthWorks has been a leader in the discussion of Biological Soil Management and has been producing professional grade carbon based fertilizers for over 30 years. Each year over 15,000 soil tests are performed by the companies agronomists and all of this builds the focus of The EarthWorks Podcast. Please enjoy.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-31T06:21:03.495559+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-earthworks-podcast-1242534"},"episode":{"title":"The EW Podcast - Kevin Hicks with Joel Simmons - Construction","slug":"the-ew-podcast-kevin-hicks-with-joel-simmons-construction","published_at":"2026-04-30T18:21:06+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-earthworks-podcast-1242534/the-ew-podcast-kevin-hicks-with-joel-simmons-construction","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-earthworks-podcast-1242534","url":"https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-ew-podcast-kevin-hicks-with-joel-simmons-construction--71786030","audio_url":"https://api.spreaker.com/download/episode/71786030/the_ew_podcast_kevin_hicks_with_joel_simmons_construction.mp3","summary":"For over 30 years, EarthWorks has helped turf managers successfully establish golf courses and sports fields during construction and grow-in. Our soil-first approach has consistently delivered stronger rooting, more efficient fertility programs, and long-term performance. Sand-based root zones, however, present a unique set of challenges. They are naturally low in mineral content, have limited nutrient holding capacity (CEC), and provide little to no carbon to fuel soil biology. The result is reduced microbial activity, an overreliance on synthetic nitrogen during grow-in, and the development of excessive, unmanageable thatch. In this episode, Kevin Hicks sits down with Joel Simmons to explore the origins of the EarthWorks construction grow-in program—and the why behind amending sand-based soils from the start. As Joel puts it, “someone you know has used the EarthWorks grow-in program.” Built around proven inputs like Renovate Plus, Ecolite, and MycoReplenish, this construction-focused approach has been trusted by thousands of turf managers since the mid-1990s. The results are consistent—faster grow-ins, deeper rooting, reduced nitrogen inputs, and a dramatic reduction in thatch. By shifting from a nitrogen-heavy strategy to a carbon-driven, biologically active system during construction, turf managers turn thatch into usable organic matter—and make grow-ins far more manageable from day one. Visit EarthWorks at: https://www.earthworksturf.com Podcasts: https://www.earthworksturf.com/earthworks-podcasts/ EW Turf Talks: https://www.earthworksturf.com/2-minute-turf-talks/","meta_description":"For over 30 years, EarthWorks has helped turf managers successfully establish golf courses and sports fields during construction and grow-in. Our soil-fir…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3952,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-earthworks-podcast-1242534/episodes/the-ew-podcast-kevin-hicks-with-joel-simmons-construction/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-earthworks-podcast-1242534/the-ew-podcast-kevin-hicks-with-joel-simmons-construction.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}