What once was considered witchcraft by many in the industry has caught on as an accepted - and even necessary, by some - method of maintaining healthy turfgrass: bionutrition.

While the use of bionutrition or biostimulants is not intended to replace the long-trusted combination of mowing, fertilization and cultivation, it has been learned that bio can enhance the condition of grasses under great stress when used in conjunction with culture practices.

Luke Strojny, superintendent at Prairie Bluff Golf Club in Crest Hill, Ill., has been on the job for 30 years and has used bio for approximately the last 10. Mother Nature’s extreme mood swings the last couple of seasons has solidified his belief in bio.

“Especially in the last two years with severe weather, it has worked on the greens where we’ve had minimal damage,” Strojny says. “It’s gotten me through some tough years. I’d hate to think [what would’ve happened] if I hadn’t used them.”

Strojny, who says he learned of bio through distributors, warns that not all products are the same and the more expensive products aren’t necessarily the best. He has been at Prairie Bluff for four years and says the results he’s seen on different turf have varied.

“Different golf courses respond differently,” he says. “It even works differently on different parts of this golf course ... from one green to the next.”

Likewise, Ross Santjer, superintendent at Moccasin Creek Country Club in Aberdeen, South Dakota, says he doesn’t just apply bio across the board.

“I have a few greens I treat different than the others to keep all greens consistent,” he says. “Consistency is a big part of having good plant health and happy golfers.”

Extreme conditions this year, from flooding for months to dry for long stretches, has made it difficult for Santjer to see what worked as far as products go, but he says he’ll open the door to bio again in 2012 if tests call for it.

“I am a big believer in test soils to see what you need to maintain good plant health,” he says. “Only time will tell what will work for me next year.”

Superintendent Patrick Grimes of Oak Creek Country Club in Sedona, Ariz., is a believer, too. He says most of what he knows about bio is anecdotal.

“I believe that the addition of humic for a carbon source increases the percentage of nitrogen that is actually getting to the plant,” Grimes says. “I also believe that the microbial activity in my soils has increased due to them. For instance, at one point this season my fairways went nine weeks without a fertilizer app. I've racked my brain trying to figure out why, and the only explanation I can come up with is increased microbial activity freeing up nutrient in the soil.

“I don't believe they're an instant fix,” he adds. “I've been applying for three years now, and only saw this for the first time this season.”

Grimes also is a fan of mychorizal products. He feels these products have helped tremendously in building root mass on his mostly-Poa greens.

“When I began here six years ago, root mass on my greens was barely an inch in the middle of the season,” he says. “Currently, mass is down four-plus inches. I've got to believe that, along with aerification practices, the mychorizal products are a major reason for this.”

Rick Darby, superintendent at Arizona National Golf Club in Tucson, has a fair amount of experience with bionutrition and biostimulants. He says he was able to use biostimulants freely in the 90s and had success on both Bermuda and bent greens. Good information was always available through respectable vendors, university research, the Internet and other superintendents he trusted. Bio isn’t magic, however.

“I’ve learned that biostimulants are not a cure-all, but definitely have a place in regular fertility when proper timing is used,” Darby says. “On both grasses, the best time to use these products is before stress periods occur and during optimal growing times of the year. That is when you get the most bang for your buck and reduce future adverse conditions.”

Darby would love to incorporate these products on a regular basis, but has little input on developing his budget.

“I’ve had to approach things differently,” he says. “With major budget reductions over the last three years, our approach has required a change. My bio program is actually using microbes we generate on site and apply through the irrigation system. What this accomplishes is a better efficiency on nutrient uptake. It has also given us a longer interval between fertilizer applications. Therefore our conditions stay much more consistent for a longer period of time.”

Strojny uses bio mostly on the greens, though he’s tried it on the driving range tees where very little works to heal excessive damage.

“Start out slow, don’t buy everything and have a test area,” he says. “I started on the putting green in the nursery and expanded it from there.”

Q: What’s happening in the industry?

A: From my observations there appears to be more products than ever before. We are in the process of searching the Web with great scrutiny looking for every product from every manufacturer that could possibly be included under the umbrella of "biostimulant" or "bio-nutrition." So far, we have found at least an equal number to the number we found about four years ago, and we’re still counting. So there is no shortage of products.

Most likely the number of products on the market has to do with the severity of the last two summers. Between heat and drought, golf courses superintendents are looking for whatever edge they can possibly get just to get through these very tough times.

In terms of the number of superintendents using these types of products, my guess is the number is probably up. Again simply because of the extreme stress of the last couple summers. A few years ago, two separate surveys were conducted to determine what percentage of superintendents use biostimulants on a regular basis or at least occasionally. Both surveys showed almost identical numbers. At that time, 40 percent of the superintendents surveyed said they used such materials on a regular basis while another 40 percent used them occasionally. A clear 20 percent didn't use them at all. I don't have data, but my guess is the number of superintendents using them, both regularly or occasionally, has gone up. We hope to conduct another survey this coming year.  


Q: What might be coming down the line for bio?

A: It appears there are more and more products showing a broad mixture of "active ingredients" and openly including nutrients along with the active ingredients. I think once we have our data finalized from our Web search, we will have a better feel for what we will be seeing this coming year. I certainly would want to poll the manufacturers though.


Q: How much should superintendents plan for bio for next year, especially considering the summer we’ve just experienced?

A: As I mentioned, I believe the use of biostimulant products will be up for this coming summer. However, with budgets so tight, I imagine the superintendent is going to look very closely at the available products to see which ones best fit his or her needs. Frankly, I would hope the superintendent would demand university research results before making a final decision on any particular product.


Q: And looking the summer we’re likely to have next year, how should superintendents prepare?

A: As an agronomist, I believe you start preparing for next summer now. That is, mowing, fertilization, cultivation, pest control that is done in the fall can have a huge effect on the health of the turftgrass next spring and summer. In every region of the country, we have excellent university extension people and information available for the superintendent if he or she wants to know what current research is showing in terms of maximizing the health and performance of turfgrass. In addition, the superintendent should be talking with his peers, especially those who have made it through the past two summers without losing grass. I would also start contacting bioproduct manufacturers for information on their products. Not just marketing information, but research results that support the claims the manufacturer might be making.

I also advise superintendents to do their own testing. This doesn't have to be an involved study. Simply drop a piece of plywood over an area of the green that is to be treated with a biostimulant or bio-nutritional product. Compare this area with the rest of the green that had been treated. The results might be surprising.


Q: What are the basic benefits to bio?

A: The superintendents I talk to indicate that they serve as a safety net. That is, after they have done everything they can do as a turfgrass manager in terms of mowing, fertilization, cultivation, etc., biostimulants just might provide that needed edge to get the grass through a stress situation. That approach is hard to argue against. The key is to remember that these bioproducts are not intended to replace or take shortcuts around basic turfgrass management practices but to enhance or serve as supplements to help get the grass through stress conditions. That’s my view anyhow.


Q: What are the risks?

A: In terms of any of these products harming turfgrass, there is little or no indication that is a major concern if the label is followed. In all our work over the years, so long as we followed label instructions, we never saw a negative effect on the turfgrass from any of the products we tested. Obviously, we haven’t tested every product. The point is, always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. The only other risk is superintendents believing that such products are a “magic bullet” and certain turfgrass management practices can be cut back on or eliminated entirely.

Aquatrols, the global leader in soil surfactant technology, is excited to announce that we have signed an agreement with Brigham Young University to license a unique, patent-pending technology for coating seeds with soil surfactants. Aquatrols views the technology, developed by Dr. Matt Madsen and colleagues at BYU and Cornell University as a new method to deliver soil surfactants to water repellent soils to enhance seed germination and seedling establishment.

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