Stress Free Summer for RSA Golf Courses

Be prepared by being proactive

Being reactive is costly and leads to a poor end result most of the time.

Deal with disease before you see it.

Your summer fungicide applications are absolutely critical on your cool season greens as are your autumn & winter fungicide applications for warm season turf (Bermuda, kikuyu, paspalum). We work closely with technical gurus around the world to assist turf managers to apply the right product at the right time. This is based on soil temp wherever possible to take the guessing game out of it. As you can see by this image by the time we can see the disease with the naked eye it is rather late. The recovery process is not only costly but requires more applications at higher rates.

Plant Growth Regulators or PGR’s

This awesome tool not only gives you so much flexibility as a turf manager, but also makes you look like the star.

I love producing the ultimate playing surface and Primo Maxx allows us to do that.

It immediately reduces the clippings by 50% giving you complete flexibility in your mowing schedule – particularly on fairways & semi rough during wet weather. After the 5th application the difference in density, rooting, playability, colour, water usage & drought tolerance is clearly evident. I have worked with this product since 1996 on warm & cool season turf and it is awesome. A lockdown lifesaver at home too!

The other side of the PGR coin is maintaining greens speed for the afternoon field.

You only need 5 litres of Primo Maxx per ha (18 holes for most clubs) per year to have all the benefits we have discussed. It is awesome to see so many country courses enjoying this ride.

Water management:

This remains the number 1!

Good water management will always be the difference between turf quality. There are so many moisture meters on the market – I would encourage every turf manager to have one – whether it be the R250 hand held unit to the sophisticated POGO. Once you see a hot spot on the surface you have sadly lost roots & a lot of damage is done.

Wetting agents play a major part in water management – I now use them at varying rates year round to maintain a very valued root system.

Qualibra is awesome as it is a penetrant which allows you to get the water off the surface and a great polymer which holds 21% more moisture in the root zone.

I am biased but after growing turf for 24 years I appreciate the advances in technology & these awesome products.

Pigments:

Summer stress is sure less stressful with pigments – this truly is a game changer. Another wonderful tool. Synenta's Turf Pigment Technology, Ryder is new to the South African market, but is already making a positive impact.

What does Ryder do for your golf course turf?

• Absorbs and reflects UV Rays
• Gives great lasting colour, keeping it green even through Winter.
• Improve turf health
• Ryder acts like sunblock and protects your golf course turf from the harmful UV rays that damage plants.

A brilliant tool for cool season turf during this summer heat from September through to April

Application

Greens - summer: Apply 1 litre/ha every 14 days.
In severe heat stress, Ryder can be applied as often as every 2 -3 days.
Ryder can be tank mixed with any other product other than copper.

Ryder protects your golf course turf from the cold and it keeps it green throughout the winter.
A brilliant tool for warm season turf during the cold winter months from April through to September.
Fairways - winter: Apply 2 litres/ha every 6 - 8 weeks. You can start by just spraying April and August to assist the turf plant into and out winter.

This article was written by Sue de Zwart, Talking Turf and originally appeared in South Africa Golf Trader.