L AWN CARE BY SARAH WEBB
Dialed in on PGRs Lawn care experts explain how companies can best leverage plant growth regulators.
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hen it comes to using plant growth regulators (PGRs), lawn care operators can take advantage of them in a variety of ways. Dean Mosdell, Ph.D., technical services manager at Syngenta, and Aaron Hathaway, technical services manager at Nufarm, explain how. Green Industry Pros: How can lawn care companies use PGRs to their advantage? Aaron Hathaway: So, in lawns, especially if the lawn care operator is doing the mowing and the (chemical) applications to the lawn, they’re doing practices they wouldn’t have to
22 GREEN INDUSTRY PROS
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APRIL 2022
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if they could simply slow down the growth of these plants. That’s where PGRs come in because they can simply regulate the growth of any plant. With turfgrass, we can slow down that vertical growth and possibly have to mow less, and even if we’re not mowing less, we’re getting fewer clippings. For growth regulation, PGRs are a great tool. Dean Mosdell: PGRs can reduce vertical growth, leaf elongation and node extension, resulting in a darker green, more compact plant. This can result in reduced clippings, green waste, mowing time and labor required in the mowing process. With labor constraints, the ability to maintain high-quality turf with less effort can be advantageous to full-service landscapers.
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