Maintaining high-quality turf on golf courses is a continuous challenge for greenkeepers. The balance between managing growth, improving playability and ensuring a healthy sward requires effective solutions. Attraxor®, a plant growth regulator containing prohexadione-calcium, which is exclusively available from Agrovista Amenity, has become a trusted tool in the industry, helping to control excessive growth, reduce mowing frequency and enhance overall turf health.
How Attraxor® works
The active ingredient in Attraxor®, prohexadione-calcium, inhibits the gibberellic acid pathway — a crucial process in plant growth. By doing so, it reduces upward grass growth while promoting a denser, healthier sward. Unlike some growth regulators that take time to activate, Attraxor® begins working within just four hours of application, making it one of the fastest-acting solutions available.
Key benefits of Attraxor®
One of the primary advantages of Attraxor® is its ability to reduce clipping yields and mowing frequency. For golf course managers, this leads to improved labour efficiency and reduced wear and tear on machinery. The product is effective even at low application rates of 375 g/ha, and ensures consistent growth regulation regardless of grass species or cutting height.
Attraxor® works equally well across various amenity grass species, including Agrostis spp, Festuca spp, Lolium perenne, Holcus lanatus and Poa pratensis. Notably, it also plays a vital role in managing the pioneer species Poa annua, which can reduce the quality of golf course greens. Used as part of an integrated turf management strategy, Attraxor® can help reduce the proportion of Poa annua in the sward over time.
Turf quality and playability
In addition to upwards growth regulation, Attraxor® has a significant impact on overall quality as it helps improve rooting and sward density. By improving sward density, it creates a more uniform playing surface that enhances ball roll and consistency — critical factors for golf courses aiming to provide the best playing experience. Its ability to promote root formation strengthens the sward, making it more resilient to environmental stresses such as drought, disease and heavy foot traffic.
Nigel Broadwith, course manager at John O’Gaunt Golf Club, has seen first-hand the improvements Attraxor® brings to playability. “A major improvement has been the playability, and the feedback we have had has been really positive in relation to the green speed and trueness. We believe that Attraxor® has had a major part to play in that positive feedback. It is such a good product, and I would recommend it,” he said.
Speed and efficiency
One of the standout features of Attraxor® is its rapid uptake. Once applied, it starts regulating growth within just four hours, meaning greenkeepers can see results almost immediately. It remains effective even in temperatures as low as 7°C, making it a reliable solution throughout the growing season.
Dr Abigail Graceson, technical manager for Agrovista Amenity, highlights the importance of Attraxor® for turf professionals: “Prohexadione-calcium, the active substance in Attraxor®, can be a valuable addition to turf management programmes aimed at improving turf health and surface quality. Attraxor® offers consistent growth regulation across amenity turf species which assists with improving turf consistency and performance whilst the reduction in stem elongation enables the plant to divert resources to improve rooting activity and plant resilience to stress.”
Take control today
For greenkeepers looking to enhance turf quality while improving efficiency, Attraxor® provides a proven solution. By reducing excessive growth, strengthening the sward and improving playability, it is an essential tool for maintaining high standards on golf courses across the UK.