Golfdom, January 2012

S PRACTICAL RESEARCH DIGEST FOR TURF MANAGERS IN THIS ISSUE OUR SPONSORS www andersonsinc com 800 537 3370 www fmc com 800 321 1FMC Organic and Biologically Amended Fertilizers www turfgrasstrends com January 2012 TURFGRASS TRENDS 33 E F F E C T S O F O R G A N I C S S uperintendents manage large acres of turfgrass visible to the public and are often the targets of public scrutiny over the environmental impact of their management practices specifically the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides As the golf industry embraces the sustainable management PART 2 Seasonal effects on turf quality and leaf chlorophyll content By Adam Van Dyke movement it seems like a plethora of commercial products containing organic and biological materials are being marketed to and used by superintendents Reasons for using these types of materials vary but their use is nothing new Carrier 1923 However the renewed interest in organic and biological products might be a way to reduce synthetic inputs on the golf course The products also have uncharacterized benefits that may or may not improve turf health Research has shown that organic sources of nutrients can provide equally as good or better quality and growth of turf compared to synthetics Rossi 2006 Agnew 1992 and biological inoculants have shown promise as bio pesticides Nelson et al 1994 But studies in the field have lacked consistency Nelson 1998 Benefits associated with organic and biological materials often depend on application techniques Jackson 1999 Agnew 1992 and environmental conditions Rossi 2006 Peacock and Daniel 1995 creating uncertainty for end users Therefore the continued study of these types of materials under specific management regimes and in different climatic regions is important This study tested some commercially available organic and biologically amended fertilizers on golf course fairways in the Intermountain West for two years The objective was to evaluate their effects on turf quality and leaf chlorophyll content when compared to some synthetic fertilizers The author would like to thank the superintendents at the courses Troy VanDenBerghe at Willow Creek Country Club and David Willis at Glenwild Golf Club for their assistance with this work Materials and methods In Part 1 of this series I explored assessing snow mold control with these specific Alternative Products for Silvery Thread Moss Control in Creeping Bentgrass Is baking soda a viable remedy 36 Continued on page 34 Editors note This is the second of a two part series evaluating some organic and biologically amended fertilizers on actual golf courses In September 2011 s Turfgrass Trends the author reported snow mold control data on highly maintained golf course turf after using these materials for two years compared to a PCNB fungicide