Sea Kelp

Different forms of sea kelp are now very commonly being used in turf management for their numerous benefits. Sea kelp is very mineral rich and provides the plant with two major growth hormones. These two hormones are cytokinins and auxins. These nutrients are very effective in helping the plant to manage and recover from drought and heat stress. 

Kelp increases carbohydrate production which in turn enhances root and leaf production. Sea kelp will increase soil microbial activity; when this activity increases we will see more nutrients become available to the plant that may have previously been tied up by the soil and then because of this we will also see an increase in nutrient uptake with the plant. Kelp has been proven to also increase photosynthesis and chlorophyll production which will give the plant a major aesthetic boost. Sea kelp can also be very valuable and helpful with grow-ins and establishment as they will speed plant establishment/germination and increase new seedling development. 

The extra micronutrients provided by sea kelp have proven to be very effective in helping the plant to resist attack and infection from disease and insect pests. There has been research done with sea kelp applications in turf that has shown an increase in water holding abilities in the soil which is a great added benefit for a turf manager. 

Sea kelp products are readily available on the market now and as a turf manager it will be very easy for you to get your hands on them if you are not already using kelp products. Many liquid nutritional products and blended with kelp in them now but there are also products available that only contain kelp as well. 

Turf Fuel has many products available that contain sea kelp. Our sea kelp is Ecklonia maxima which is an auxin rich form of sea kelp. Our auxin rich formula will be the most effective in increasing root mass and system development while limiting the growth of lateral stems which is not desirable in turf.

XChange is a combination of sea kelp, humic acid, salicylic acid and iron. This product will greatly improve nutrient availability. XChange will also greatly increase root mass, antioxidant levels and colour. It will also help the plant to manage stress and disease.

 

Respo Fuel contains sea kelp, foliar calcium, silica, copper, salicylic acid and our Nutrifense technology. It is a fantastic product for managing and preventing heat and drought stress.

Turf Fuel is committed to developing products that are not like any other on the market and finding solutions to the problems that have been plaguing turf managers for years. They are committed to always improving the already great products they currently have. Turf Fuel has solutions available from the most simple aspects of nitrogen nutrition to the much more complicated solutions that you have been looking for such as stress management. 

Potassium Nutrition

Potassium has many important roles in aiding in overall plant health. Of the three primary plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium), potassium is the nutrient that is most important in helping the health of the plant to be protected against environmental stresses such as drought and extreme winter weather. Potassium is very important for many crucial plant process which include the synthesis/production of starches and essential sugars. Potassium is also known to aid the plant in being more resilient to external stresses as it is very effective in strengthening plant cell walls. Potassium has also been proven to help the plant with increasing disease and drought resistance along with what most people think of when they think of potassium which is increasing overall plant hardiness heading into and over the winter period. 

Because potassium is important for cell strength and internal cell functions; when it is supplied to the plant in adequate amounts the plant will then be more efficient with photosynthesis, water absorption, the creation of proteins and respiration. This statement really helps to explain why it is so useful in managing stress. Typically when the plant is under stress the necessary processes will slow down, but when we supply potassium to the plant it enables the plant to be able to continue with these necessary processes even when an external stress is present because the plant is strong enough to fight against the stress on its own. 

Potassium can aid the plant in being able to easier and more efficiently take up water and nutrients. Because potassium is very important in enabling the plant to grow; if it becomes deficient it can lead the plant to grow or recover slower than desired. The plant is primarily focused on storing carbohydrates in the fall in preparation for it "hibernation" period. By adding potassium at that time of year you are helping the plant to better store the food it needs to survive the winter. 

Turf that is deficient in potassium will have a yellow appearance and will begin to have a weaker root system which will lead to a weakened stand of turf that is easily susceptible to damage. One very important point with potassium is that it is a very Saskatchewan nutrient. A good portion of the world potash supply comes from our province so it is great to know that potassium is not only great for our turf but also our province!

Turf Fuel has a few foliar products and many granular products that contain sources of potassium. The main potassium product is Base K26. Base K26 is a 0-0-26 potassium fertilizer made from a very safe highly absorbed form known as potassium acetate. This product also contains G2D (Grow to Defend) technology. The technology is a blend of conjugated (combined), plant based hormones. G2D primes the plants growth and development while still improving plant structures like shoots and chlorophyll production, promotes energy conservation because these effective hormones have been supplied and helps the plant use nutrients more efficiently.

Turf Fuel is committed to developing products that are not like any other on the market and finding solutions to the problems that have been plaguing turf managers for years. They are committed to always improving the already great products they currently have. Turf Fuel has solutions available from the most simple aspects of nitrogen nutrition to the much more complicated solutions that you have been looking for such as stress management. 

Fungicides and Snow Mould

Snow moulds are most definitely the one type of disease that all turf managers in the province of Saskatchewan can and do face regardless of their location in the province. Because of this and the level of destruction they can cause to your turf it is fully accepted that we will preventatively spray fungicides to our turf to avoid the occurrence or lessen the damage from the disease.

During the winter the turf becomes weaker as the amount of carbohydrates within the plant becomes less and less. Snow moulds are among those disease types that are active and actually thrive under cooler temperatures and because of that they are the perfect opportunists when the turf is weaker to attack. The leaves of the plant will appear sunken and usually be coated in white mycelia after the pathogen has infected the plant. 

Photo by William M. Brown Jr., Bugwood.org.

There are extra steps that we can take to help in hardening the plant off in the fall along with not neglecting regular cultural practices which will lead to optimal plant health the can help to lessen the effects of snow mould but usually it is still necessary to apply fungicides to prevent snow moulds. The good news is that there are many different fungicides available that will work very well to control snow mould. 

There are many different types of fungi that cause snow moulds though so it is very important to know what type of snow mould you are trying to control when selecting fungicide products as some products will work better than others depending on which fungus is present. The two main diseases we deal with at snow mould time are grey snow mould and pink snow mould. Grey snow mould will typically have visible mycelia (white webbing) on top of the patch and the patches will be white or gray in colour. Pink snow mould will appear in similar sized patches and be pink to orange-brown in colour.

Different fungicide active ingredients will work and prevent the pathogen in different ways. Some will coat the plant tissue and prevent the pathogen from entering the plant, some fungicides will enter the plant foliage and spread throughout the leaf blade they were sprayed on and in that case prevent the disease from infecting the plant in the areas the active ingredient was sprayed on and some fungicides will enter the foliage and spread throughout the entire plant and in that case prevent the pathogen from infecting the plant structures it had spread to. The important factor with any of the active ingredients that do not just coat and remain on the plant tissue and instead move throughout the foliage is that you have to ensure that the plant is still actively growing (not dormant) enough for the product to be taken into the plant and then spread. Alternatively though, fungicide products that just coat the plant tissue will be less effective at times of aggressive plant growth and watering as the plant will grow out the active ingredient or the water will eventually wash it off in time. 

At Target Specialty Products we have many different fungicide products available to treat snow moulds and the different disease types related to snow mould. FMC has a product called Disarm that contains the active ingredient Fluoxastrobin. Disarm is a systemic product that is labelled for control of and very effective with both grey and pink snow mould. Disarm is usually one of the products we have customers use as one of their September "clean-up" applications.

Quali-Pro has a three-way active ingredient fungicide product called Intaglio that contains the active ingredients Chlorothalonil, Fludioxonil and Iprodione. Intaglio is a very effective product and it is labelled for control of both grey and pink snow mould. Intaglio is the fungicide product that we have our customers use as their final fungicide application right prior to winter.

Quali-Pro also has single active ingredient products called Chlorothalonil 720F, Iprodione 240 SE and Propiconazole 14.3 ME which are also very effective for pink and grey snow mould. Those three Quali-Pro products are products that we would recommend to customers for use in September as one of their "clean-up" applications or as a preventative application first thing in the spring right after snow melt. 

When used at the proper times in conjunction with strong plant health programs (fertility and cultural)Target Specialty Products fungicide products will be very effective in controlling all different types of snow moulds that exist. 

Manganese

Manganese is an often forgotten about but very important micronutrient for turf. Manganese plays an important role in the photosynthesis process as it is the element that splits H2O molecules early in the photosynthesis process. Manganese also is the element that breaks down carbon dioxide during the photosynthesis process. Because of this if the plant is deficient with manganese than it will have a negative effect on chloroplast and then in return reduce photosynthesis production. Once photosynthesis slows then so do most other plant functions and as a result we end up with a weaker plant. Most manganese that exists in the soil will not actually be available to the plant due to the fact that it normally oxidizes so quickly within the soil. Because of this manganese applied in foliar applications will generally be most effective depending on the main goal of the manganese application. 

Manganese has proven itself to be very effective in enabling the plant to be able to deal with some pathogen infections. Manganese is responsible for being a part of the activation process of many plant beneficial enzymes. Many of these enzymes are important for the production of lignin. Lignin is an important part of the plant tissue, especially the roots that helps the plant to be more resistant to soil-borne diseases. Manganese is also responsible for other enzymes that can also be toxic to certain pathogens as well which can help the plant deal with disease. 

Because manganese is so beneficial for oxygen production within the plant it is also great for stress resistance as most stresses will typically limit oxygen so in the case of manganese it will actually increase oxygen and the plants ability to handle the stress. Manganese deficiency will typically appear as discoloration or chlorosis within the veins of younger plant leaves. But in contrast to this; adequate amounts of manganese will result in great colour within the plant especially because it is so important for photosynthesis. 

Turf Fuel has a product called MZ-23 that is a manganese product along with zinc, potassium phosphite and seaweed extract. MZ-23 is the ultimate stress and summer stress product due to the stress and pathogen related benefits that manganese, phosphites and zinc all give you. It is also a great product for promoting rooting and a great colour response as well. 

We do also have many other foliar and granular products available though that will provide the plant with all of the benefits of manganese that we have discussed that can be a great addition to your program as well.

Turf Fuel is committed to developing products that are not like any other on the market and finding solutions to the problems that have been plaguing turf managers for years. They are committed to always improving the already great products they currently have. Turf Fuel has solutions available from the most simple aspects of nitrogen nutrition to the much more complicated solutions that you have been looking for such as stress management. 

Phosphites

Phosphites have become a popular and very common topic in the turf management world, but what exactly do they do for the turf? 

Phosphites are now commonly being used in the turf world for disease suppression, as plant defense activators that can strengthen the plant to enable it to fight in times of stress and as a biostimulant to strengthen the plant through root & shoot development, stress tolerance, etc. Because of phosphites ability to suppress disease and strengthen the plant to be capable of fighting off stress, phosphites are a very popular and important component of a managers integrated pest management program as there is more and more pressure to move away from or use less synthetic pesticides. Phosphites are generally less expensive than traditional fungicide products and will have less of a negative effect on harming non-target organisms when spraying.

Phosphites on their own have proven to reduce the incidence of disease in many cases by atleast 50% but have also shown that they can even have greater control than that. Research has proven that with the combination of both phosphites and traditional fungicides together that disease suppression is excellent and even better than the fungicides on their own. Because of this data it can give you as a turf manager a few options. When disease pressure is moderate to low the use of phosphites on their own may just be enough to control the disease within your thresholds. When disease pressure is high and phosphites and fungicides are used together you can expect very strong disease control or even the option to use a lower rate of fungicide without losing any of the expected control you would expect from fungicides alone at a higher rate. 

The addition of phosphites to turf will result in higher quality and more dense turf compared to areas where phosphites are not used. In trial data the plots with phosphites added were even able to show that the turf treated with phosphites were more dense and of better overall quality in comparison to the turf that received just fungicide applications. Trials have now been carried out to show that when phosphites are in contact with pathogen material that they will actually slow the development of the pathogen similar to a fungicide and then allow the plant to fight back against the disease.  

Turf Fuel carries two phosphite products called Phos-Sil Fuel Supreme and MZ-23. Phos-Sil Fuel Supreme is a combination of phosphite and silica. The phosphites will help to fight disease and enable plant defense mechanisms while the silica will harden cell walls and results in a tougher and more resilient plant. Phos-Sil Fuel is the ultimate plant stress and health product that will result in a very tough plant. 

   

MZ-23 is a combination of phosphite, sea kelp, potassium, manganese and zinc. This product combination will result in exceptional stress resistance, colour and turf health. It is great for driving roots but the combination of manganese and zinc are also great for in-season patch diseases and carrying out many of the plants most important jobs like photosynthesis.  

Turf Fuel is committed to developing products that are not like any other on the market and finding solutions to the problems that have been plaguing turf managers for years. They are committed to always improving the already great products they currently have. Turf Fuel has solutions available from the most simple aspects of nitrogen nutrition to the much more complicated solutions that you have been looking for such as stress management.   

Humic Acid

Humic acids are a complex form of coal that are made up of decayed matter found in nature from organic matter in the soil, water and sediments found mostly in aquatic and wet ares in nature. They are a chain of carbon that are reactive in soil and will react with many metals and minerals which is one of the main reasons why they are valuable to a turf manager.  

Typical humic acid structure

Humic acids work great in the soil as an amendment and in improving microbial activity. One of the most important characteristics for humic acids is their ability to make nutrients applied or tied up in the soil either more effective or available to the plant when they previously were not able to be used by the plant as efficiently or potentially not even at all. They can also improve the soils ability to retain moisture which can also help in getting some nutrients into solution to be utilized by the plant. Because humic acids help to improve the soil they also promote and increase microbial activity in the soil which in turn can help with thatch management, pest prevention, nutrient availability, etc. 

Because of all of the previously mentioned benefits we can conclude that humic acids help to result in a healthier plant that is more resilient and can withstand stresses easier with some instances of increased rooting also being observed with the addition of humic acids. Humic acids are a great and very necessary tool for turf managers in Saskatchewan given our naturally high pH that occurs in our soils and water sources. We know that with higher pH readings above 7 that many nutrients are less available to the plant within the soil. In order to get the most out of your soil based fertilizer applications or the existing reserves in the soil humic acids are the perfect tool for a problem that many turf mangers are facing in the province.

Turf Fuel has a product called XChange that is our main humic acid source. XChange is great for all of the above mentioned facts such as improving nutrient availability within the soil, microbial activity and for overall plant health. XChange also contains sea kelp which will promote robust rooting and a great colour response. Salicylic acid is also found in XChange and it will aid in priming the natural plant defense mechanisms within the plant to fight off stress and result in a much more healthy and resilient plant. 

Turf Fuel is committed to developing products that are not like any other on the market and finding solutions to the problems that have been plaguing turf managers for years. They are committed to always improving the already great products they currently have. Turf Fuel has solutions available from the most simple aspects of nitrogen nutrition to the much more complicated solutions that you have been looking for such as stress management.   

Plant Defense Activators

The use of plant defense activators in turf has become a very common trend in recent years largely due to the fact that they have proven to be very effective in managing the stresses that the plant is put through and due to their more positive view on the environment in comparison to synthetic fungicides. The general understanding of this process is that we can promote the plant to use its own natural plant resistance responses to fight stresses such as disease, insects and abiotic (physical) stresses. The two most common defense mechanisms are Systemic Acquired Resistance (SAR) and Induced Systemic Resistance (ISR). 

The focus of this post will be on Systemic Acquired Resistance which is when a stress, pathogen or type of activator triggers the salicylic acid (SA) pathway which then results in a systemic signal within the plant that activates the defense response genes. This results in the production of PR (pathogenesis-related) proteins which are vital for the plant in dealing with the stress. Once this process has taken place the plant can then be strong enough to fight the pathogen or stress without having the plant decline just from using its own natural processes. This process can be related to a human strengthening their immune system to be strong enough to fight a cold without the need for antibiotics.  

Some very common elements that help to bring upon an SAR response in plants are the addition of phosphites, salicylic acid and silicon. SAR products have proven that in some cases they can provide equal and acceptable control of pathogens when comparing them to traditional fungicides which is a huge advantage to our industry as they have now given turf managers the option of products that have a stronger perception within society and government environmentally and more product options as chemical restrictions become more common. These products have also shown that they are fantastic tank mix companions with fungicides as they can either provide better control out of the fungicide or even provide the consumer with the opportunity to cut fungicide rates and still achieve acceptable control. 

The great benefit to using products that contain elements that trigger natural plant defense mechanisms within the plant is that you are able to supply the plant with everything it needs to fight without having the plant deplete itself in any way so that immediately after the plant has dealt with the stress it can then continue on with its normal processes such as photosynthesis or protein production. 

There are many Turf Fuel products that can help to trigger a Systemic Acquired Resistance (SAR) or natural plant defense mechanism within the plant. Any of our products that contain Nutrifense are going to work fantastic in carrying out the plant defense process. Nutrifense contains an SAR elicitor that will work as a defense activator and Nutrifense also supplies defensive, (stress-fighting) chemicals derived throughout the world for their unique abilities to deal with extreme stress. The three product that contain Nutrifense are Element 6 (which contain a full dose of Nutrifense), Respo Fuel and Photo Fuel which are all going to give any turf manager fantastic results when it comes to stress management. 

Other Turf Fuel products that contain elements such as salicylic acid, phosphites, humic acid, silicon, etc that will all help to trigger the natural plant defense mechanisms within the plant are Phos-sil Fuel Supreme, MZ-23, XChange and Lessen 11. 

Turf Fuel is committed to developing products that are not like any other on the market and finding solutions to the problems that have been plaguing turf managers for years. They are committed to always improving the already great products they currently have. Turf Fuel has solutions available from the most simple aspects of nitrogen nutrition to the much more complicated solutions that you have been looking for such as stress management. 

Basic Nitrogen Nutrition

I have been meaning to get back into blogging for quite a while now as it was something I greatly enjoyed as a Superintendent and now my comeback has finally come. I wanted it to be a continuation of the work I had done as a Superintendent so that is why I have re-purposed my old blog into this current one. My goal will be to post at least once a month and to cover a certain plant health topic and then relate it to some real world product examples.

Since this is the fresh start to the blog I figured I might as well start with about the simplest but most thought about topics in turf management and where most programs start. This topic will be nitrogen nutrition. 

Nitrogen has many roles within the plant and is the nutrient that turf managers will generally use the most of. Nitrogen is a component of chlorophyll which in turn is very necessary for the entire photosynthesis process to take place. Nitrogen is also an important component of amino acids and proteins for cell structure, nucleic acids that allows turfgrass to maintain certain characteristics that are genetic to turfgrass plants and coenzymes which are involved in allowing metabolic reactions to take place within plant cells. Because it is such a valuable component in these processes the plant could not complete its ongoing plant cycles without nitrogen. 

Nitrogen also has an affect on shoot growth, root growth, shoot density, plant colour, stress management/hardiness, disease suppression and turfgrass competition. Shoot growth is important as when you add nitrogen you are promoting the plant to grow top growth or more leaf tissue which is one of the most obvious signs of a growing/living turfgrass plant. Nitrogen can increase root growth initially or if nitrogen is supplied in adequate amounts. In instances of excessive nitrogen use it can limit or decrease root development though as eventually we can deplete carbohydrate levels to the point that the plant chooses to produce shoots over roots and either limit or decrease root amounts. Because nitrogen is a valuable component of chlorophyll it has a huge impact on just how green the plant is as chlorophyll is what gives the plant colour. This is also proof as to why the plant turns yellow when nitrogen is deficient.

An example of chlorophyll in action first thing in the spring

Certain plant stresses will relate to nitrogen levels differently. Generally plant hardiness for cold weather will be lower if the plant has been given excessive nitrogen right before freezing as nitrogen can be a limiting factor in this case. The plants ability to deal with heat stress can be improved with nitrogen though as nitrogen can increase the amount of plant respiration carried out. Traffic stress will generally be less in plants with adequate nitrogen as the plant is resilient enough to handle compaction of the plant and resilient enough to recover and grow new tissue as a result of the stress.  

Nitrogen amounts can have both positive and negative effects on disease development or suppression of certain diseases. High nitrogen can results in a softer and more fleshy leaf tissue that can be more prone to certain fungi of certain diseases like leaf spot, fusarium and certain warm weather patch diseases. But in turn there are some diseases like dollar spot that are generally less common in turf that has been given adequate amounts of nitrogen. One important factor in dealing with disease and nitrogen management no matter what will always be that if an infection takes place and recovery is necessary; nitrogen will be needed to promote recovery of the plant from the stress it has endured.  

Nitrogen levels can also be an important factor in managing stands of turf with more than one turf type. An example of this would with annual bluegrass versus creeping bentgrass. If you want to promote the annual bluegrass than you would want to apply higher levels of nitrogen as it will be more competitive in instances of high nitrogen. If you are trying to promote the bentgrass though, then you would want to slightly limit nitrogen as in this case of lower nitrogen the creeping bentgrass would be more competitive.

If you are looking to add nitrogen to your program with Turf Fuel we would usually look at products like Base N25 and Root Down or many of our premium Turf Fuel G granular products. Other products containing levels of nitrogen include Photo Fuel, Quick Green and Blade Iron.

Base N25 is a 25-0-0 (25% nitrogen) containing slow release nitrogen and Turf Fuel's G2D technology. This is a fantastic nitrogen product for any instances where colour and plant growth are desired or needed as well as helping with all of the other functions that we had previously discussed above. G2D is a blend of conjugated, plant-based hormones that promote plant growth and development while improving shoots, crowns, chlorophyll production and energy conservation. 

 Root Down 18-0-0 (18% nitrogen) is a brand new nitrogen product that is built to be a problem solver. It contains acidified nitrogen and micronutrients. It will work great as a regular nitrogen source in your program or as a sodium, black layer and bicarbonate remediation tool because of the acidified nitrogen it contains. 

Turf Fuel is committed to developing products that are not like any other on the market and finding solutions to the problems that have been plaguing turf managers for years. They are committed to always improving the already great products they currently have. Turf Fuel has solutions available from the most simple aspects of nitrogen nutrition to the much more complicated solutions that you have been looking for.