Golfdom, November 2011

Just Add Germs Continued on page 20 ketplace doesnt make much of a distinction but I think its a critical distinction Biostimulants says Nichols include seaweed extracts humic acids and organic fertilizers made from compost or compost teas Those products attempt to stimulate the biological activities of the plant he says Whereas a biofertilizer which is what Soil Technologies Corporation is involved in really is increasing the biological organisms in the soil that produce or release fertilizer materials Its more of a management system versus just a product application Lowering nitrogen Dr Haim Gunner chief scientist of Performance Nutrition says his companys products are both biostimulants in that they generate active agents that stimulate the growth both of the biological communities and crops in the soil and biofertilizers in that they provide as well a direct nutritional resource for the crop We refer to them as biofertilizers because of their predominant organic nature and integration with the components of the soil ecosystem Dr Gunner says products like Performance Nutritions RemeD8 deliver free living microorganisms capable of fixing 18 Golfdom November 2011 nitrogen from the atmosphere making it available to the ecosystem that are actually incorporated in the product and enhance soil nitrogen content accordingly Another Performance Nutrition product suitable for turf is NutriSmart a humate based granular material that contains patented microbes that fix nitrogen from the atmosphere and unlock N P and K from the soil according to Don Pucillo company president If applied according to rate instructions NutriSmart is capable of fixing nitrogen for up to five months he says It can replace up to 25 percent of a soilapplied nitrogen Independent research appears to back up the lower nitrogen claims In the growing seasons of 2005 to 2007 tests were performed at Cairo University in Egypt to investigate the response of seashore paspalum to two N sources ammonium nitrate 335 percent N at the rates of 3 4 or 5g N m2 month only or cerealin a commercial product containing bacillus polmyxa and Azotobater chroococcum bacteria with or without ammonium nitrate at the same rates In most cases combining cerealin with chemical N fertilization reduced the need for chemical N fertilization by approximately 20 to 25 percent At the University of Illinois Golf Course superintendent Allen Wall can attest to his own personal success with Continued from page 17 Photo courtesy Performance nutrition DR HAIM GUNNER SAYS PRODUCTS LIKE PERFORMANCE NUTRITIONS REMED8 DELIVER FREE LIVING MICROORGANISMS CAPABLE OF FIXING NITROGEN FROM THE ATMOSPHERE MAKING IT AVAILABLE TO THE ECOSYSTEM THAT ARE ACTUALLY INCORPORATED IN THE PRODUCT AND ENHANCE SOIL NITROGEN CONTENT ACCORDINGLY