Tackling climate change

Poa annua, also known as annual meadow grass, is a notorious problem for UK turf managers and greenkeepers who are looking to create perfect conditions for sporting or leisure activities.

This is, in part, due to it being a grass, rather than a broadleaf weed, which means that it can be difficult to find the right chemical to control it, whilst not damaging the turfgrass. If Poa is not successfully treated, seedheads will emerge, and the problem will increase for the following year as it rapidly proliferates.

BASF offers highly innovative turf management solutions for amenity and sports turf sectors, and it has an effective solution for Poa management. iAttraxor is a plant growth regulator that contains prohexadione calcium, a new active ingredient for turf care in the UK that reduces turf height by up to 30% and clippings by up to 70% following one application. By reducing longitudinal turf growth, Attraxor reduces the frequency of mowing, increases sward density and root formation, and greens up the turf.

Attraxor produces a consistent effect for up to four weeks after application, so there is no need to adjust the dose rate, regardless of the cutting height. It is effective on all cool season grass species, such as Agrostis spp., Festuca spp., Lolium perenne, Holcus lanatus and Poa pratensis.

Ideally applied early in the year, Attraxor limits the spread of Poa annua by reducing seedhead production by up to 38% and physiologically weakening but not killing the plant. Using an innovative formulation for fast leaf absorption, the product provides almost instant results, as it is activated once diluted in water at low pH. Contrary to other plant growth regulators that need to be activated by the plant enzymes, Attraxor® can be used earlier or later in the season during cooler weather (optimal temperature between 7-20oC).

Attraxor can be tank mixed with liquid fertilisers, adjuvants, biostimulants and crop protection products. n agriculture.basf.com

Eland is held in the leaf cuticle as a fungicide reservoir

Gales, high levels of rainfall and huge variations in temperature have been experienced across the country – but as daylight hours start to lengthen, the anticipation of spring begins to take over. Many greenkeepers and groundsman will have introduced an iron application into their winter programme to protect the turf with an iron-based fertiliser, offering a ‘hardening’ effect on the turf leaves, alternatively they may well try and boost the plant’s ability to withstand frost damage by increasing sugars within the plant cell tissue.

One of the many products that deliver these benefits is Autumn Green BiO 3-0-12+8Fe+6CaO+2.4MgO. This product is an ideal performer either in the autumn or leading up to spring as it features a dual source of iron that provides colour and a leaf hardening effect for up to three months with the high potassium aiding the movement of carbohydrates around the plant.

The product also contains a Bio-Pack, which provides seaweed and lignite. These constituents help reduce the impact from frost damage and, in conjunction with the potassium, helps with early season root development. The product is a micro granule, so can be applied with a pedestrian spreader if the weather is not conducive to using a tractor mounted spreader.

Another option, as stated above, is to give the plant a tonic to improve sugar content in the tissue which will help protect against freezing when light frosts are expected. One product that has demonstrated such effect is Minor-8T. Based around a 5% Free Amino Acid base, the product contains a varied and substantial nutrient offering and, with the Amino Acids content, it assists the plant to produce proteins and assimilate the nutrients within the package.

The nutrients include Iron, Boron, Copper, Magnesium, Manganese, Nitrogen, Molybdenum and Zinc; To further enhance the sugar uptake, Minor-8T is a perfect partner with Seaquest, a

cold processed seaweed extract.

During the winter months the ‘R’ range of seeds, has kept the surfaces growing with a choice of mixtures featuring tetraploid perennial ryegrass technology.

Ten mixtures in the tetraploid range are designed for a wide variety of applications and include R314 Rye, R140 and 4Tetra Tetraploid perennial ryegrass has double the amount of chlorophyll compared with diploids, making it extremely vigorous and stress tolerant.

Not only does it grow in colder conditions it also has higher root mass for stability, nutrient uptake and drought tolerance, plus increased tolerance to Microdochium patch and other turf grass diseases.

R314 Rye includes amenity annual ryegrass for the fastest germination and establishment possible in cold temperatures and is recommended for divoting and temporary repairs. R140 and Sportsfield Renovation are blends of tetraploid and diploid perennial ryegrasses for cold temperature germination, wear and persistency. All are capable of germination from just 4°C and mixtures are available for sports pitches, racecourses and cricket outfields.

Deciding on which fungicide to defend your turf territory is key to ensuring a successful outcome. For applications in the early part of the year, the requirement is to identify fungicides that contain ‘actives’ which work well under cool and cold conditions and, where possible, provide added physiological benefits.

Particularly effective under cool, cold conditions is the broad spectrum turf fungicide Eland and applications now will provide disease protection for up to 50 days.

This long-term protection is achieved through the active being held in the leaf cuticle and serves as a fungicide reservoir constantly releasing its active ingredient, pyraclostrobin, to provide long-term protection. Eland is specially suited to being applied as a preventative treatment. It is very effective against early stages of the fungus within minutes of it being applied and can restrain mycelial growth to provide additional preventative activity.

Trials have also shown that by putting in place a planned preventative fungicide programme to minimise stress and manage anthracnose from early spring, benefits to the plant can be obtained the following autumn. Exteris Stressguard, used as a two-spray programme for Anthracnose and stress management showed best in class control of Anthracnose and enhancement of turf quality

Black layer is a problem that can arise during the winter months. Poor water movement and water-logging are probably the most frequently identified causes, however inadequate drainage, poor construction materials, algae and the regular use of inorganic iron/ sulphur have all been implicated in its formation. When oxygen is in short supply within the rootzone, the potentially toxic gases Hydrogen Sulphide can become prevalent within the rootzone pore spaces, resulting in root damage.

Products containing activated carbon absorbs these gases so reducing the damaging effect they can cause. In addition,

Autumn Green has dual sources of iron for leaf hardening and colour and high potassium aids early root development

where a rooting stimulant is incorporated in such a product as Blockade LX, the formulation will assist the plant roots to re-colonise infected areas and work well in combination with mechanical aeration, such as spiking or hollow tining. To help reduce waterlogging, the use of the wetting agent, Penetr8-R is recommended, which will move excess water through the profile, and increase the oxygen flow into the rootzone.

Winter can be a testing time for the turf manager as in recent years no two seasons have been the same. Preparedness, however, is the key to a successful outcome and ensures the turf remains healthy and able to contend with the stresses brought about by changing climatic and growing conditions and be ready to accept more benign conditions from spring onwards. n www.orginamenity.com

Anutritional programme from Headland Amenity has been praised by the Director of Courses at Essendon Country Club, for helping them get through the autumn and winter of 2021 disease-free.

After his appointment in June, Marc Winnan had soil samples taken which highlighted extremely high levels of organic matter – the reduction of which was the key to the plan constructed in conjunction with Headland’s Regional Technical Manager, Peter Blackaby.

Marc oversees all elements of greens maintenance across the Hertfordshire estate, which includes two 18-hole golf courses as well as a driving range, practice facilities and the 9-hole Muntjac Academy Course.

“Whenever you start a new role, you’ll instantly spot certain problems but it’s also important to identify anything going on deeper in the profile which is why we had both Headland and the STRI take soil samples,” explained Marc, who heads a team of 15.

“The high OM levels were a real concern, so we quickly instigated a mechanical and nutritional programme to bring that down, to reduce our susceptibility to disease before the highpressure period arrived.”

Key to the programme was Headland’s industryleading 20-20-30+Mantle Enhanced Plant Health (EPH) tank-mix – a combination of Liquid Turf Hardener, Turfite Elite and Seamac ProTurf Fe, proven to deliver turf strength and reduce disease activity when applied as part of a preventative plant-health approach.

“I’ve used 20-20-30+Mantle previously, but where we would traditionally begin applications at the end of September, we brought this forward to the end of August because of the concerns we had about disease, Fusarium in particular. The 20-20-30+Mantle was complemented with applications of DewCure to reduce leaf moisture and this

combination had a massive impact on protecting plant health and saw us through with no disease,” he said.

“In other areas of the course, the goal was to improve the density of the sward via granular feeds. We applied Quickstart Maxi Plus which gave us great results across the tees, approaches and fairways, and then switched this to Multigreen 15-022 temperature-controlled release fertiliser to see us through the winter months.”

Together with the improvements in course condition, Marc has been equally pleased with the support received from the Headland Technical Team every step of the way.

“Because of his greenkeeping background, Peter speaks our language and worked together with us to give us more than just the products we need, ensuring we always had all of the additional data and knowledge to make an informed decision.”

Boasting panoramic views over the sea and the South Downs National Park, Brighton & Hove is the oldest golf club in Sussex – its nine hill-top holes situated near the picturesque Devil’s Dyke.

Its location leaves the course exposed to the elements and has posed challenges for Course Manager Jason Sarna, and his assistant Kevin Paynter, as they work to reinstate some of the site’s downland and links qualities.

The success of the project, Jason says, is largely down to improvements with the soil, and that’s thanks to products from Suståne.

“When I joined in 2007, the greens were predominately meadow grass and this was something I started working on straight away, to introduce more tolerant and sustainable species,” said Jason. “I first spoke to Russell Riley eight years ago and began incorporating some Suståne products into my feeding programme and the benefits we saw to the finer grasses were instant. I’m a big believer in feeding the soil, not the plant and working to create the environment which favours the species you want to encourage.”

Jason’s greens programme revolves around regular granular feeds – 6-24 Turf Revival as a kick-starter in the spring and following any renovation work, Suståne 5-2-4 applied every six to eight weeks in the main season and Bolster 4-4-4+3Fe as he reaches the more dormant winter months. This is then supplemented with Bolster Liquid Biostimulant, applied at 5L per 0.5 hectares every two to three weeks through the main growing season.

“As we’ve transitioned almost solely over to Suståne, we’ve noted deeper rooting, improved plant health and reduced disease pressure – having only applied three fungicides in the last five years,” said Jason. “We conducted some renovation work in August this year, overseeding with a pure fescue blend for the first time. We applied Bolster 4-4-4 and within a week we had germination. Being able to create the conditions to favour fescues will complement the links characteristics and will help with the workload we have to manage as a small team.”