The key to maintenance is reducing stresses

By Alistair August 15, 2020 06:18

The aim of all turf professionals is to produce the best playing surface possible, year-round. However, in a normal year this is difficult enough but with an unusually hot and dry spring this task has been made more challenging, combined with the Covid-19 crisis restricting many essential maintenance practices, that will have caused biotic (living organisms) and abiotic (physical) stresses and pressure placed upon the turf.

Whether you’re maintaining a football or rugby pitch, bowling greens, cricket square or outfield, keeping a balanced nutritional/bio-stimulant programme is key to reducing these stresses. A granular programme is the mainstay of the majority of turf surfaces, but using liquid supplements such as in the NUTRI-LINK SYSTEM range between granular applications, will keep the available nutritional levels consistent.

Products containing Humates (Humic and Fulvic acids), such as in Nutri-Link Root, are excellent for root development. Humic acids are attracted to the area round the root where it takes up (depletes) nutrients. This is known as the depletion zone, and when the humic acids arrive in the zone they bring nutrients and moisture for the roots. Humic acids have the ability to attract positive ions, which include nitrogen and potassium, and these are then pulled towards the negatively charged plant root in the depletion zone. When Humic acids are applied in liquid form it has also been proved that nutrient absorption through the leaf is also greatly enhanced, so when it is tank mixed with a macro nutrient package you are optimising plant uptake and health. Humic and fulvic acids are also excellent for aiding seed establishment, but by adding an NPK fertiliser, such as Nutri-Link Leaf with them, there is a synergistic effect.

Applied this spring at the Abbey Hotel Golf and Spa, Redditch, Worcestershire head greenkeeper Simon Clements stated, “Our greens were starting to burn out in places, and needed a bit of a pick-up. Applied as single application, a tank mix of three of the products from Rigby Taylor’s Nutri-Link System; ‘Base’, ‘Revive’ and Green achieved excellent results within a few days; turf looked really healthy with dry patches starting to come back and a naturally good colour. A month on and greens still looking good.

“Nutri-Link for the price you can’t beat it, I am very happy with the results and will be definitely using it again as there are so many options to mix and match.”

Nutri-Link Revive contains seaweed and amino acids, which are excellent bio-stimulants in their own rights and can be tank mixed with other bio-stimulants as well as macro and micro-nutrient sources. Seaweed has been used for hundreds of years as a source of nutrients, albeit it small amounts but also as a root developer and will also stimulate the plants own defence mechanisms.

Using products that are compatible with Plant Growth Regulators (PGR) such as Maintain or other products containing trinexapac-ethyl) provides ground managers further control of leaf growth. PGRs reduce cell elongation so limiting the clipping volume allowing energy to be diverted into root production and increased carbohydrate storage. They will also encourage lateral growth, aiding the filling-in of weaker, high wear areas

Using the synergistic benefits of combining bio-stimulants with conventional nutritional programmes, as with the Nutri-Link system, will help produce the quality, stress free surfaces that are required at all times of the year. As these products are all compatible with each other, they can help reduce man-hours, fuel usage and overall nutrient input costs.