Bionutrition in 2012

Just like in 2011, we covered a lot of great news about how researchers and superintendents approach bionutrition. Here are a few of our favorite highlights from 2012’s Bionutrition Today enewsletter editions.


In March, Dick Duggan, superintendent at The Meadow at Peabody Golf Course told us how he used bionutrition to make strong soil to sustain his turf between fertilizer applications.

“It seems everything’s energized right now with the high temperatures, so we’re off and running,” says Duggan. “Things have really greened up, which is good. We’re about two or three weeks ahead of schedule along with this winter weather.”

But now that the turf is coming out of winter, his planned bionutrition applications will cut back on the amount he needs to put down throughout the season, keeping chemicals on his course to a minimum.

“I can get maybe an additional week out of something that I normally wouldn’t before,” he says. “I always say, if every 14 days I’m applying something, I can get 21, 28 days in. But I’m always looking for the certain areas where we have trouble and we do some spot application. We thrive on good air circulation, good sunlight, but we’ve been able to stretch the days in between the spraying. If I can get another week out of it, all the better.”


In May, Dr. Roch Gaussoin of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln shared how using bionutrition gets microbes moving, freeing up nutrients in the soil.

Is there a benefit to using bionutrition on a golf course's turfgrass to aid green-up coming out of winter, especially considering what a mild winter it was for most of the country?

Dr. Roch Gaussoin: Bionutrition products depend on soil microbial activity to be most effective. In many, but not all, areas of the United States soils that normally freeze for an extended period did not. Couple that with a relatively quick increase in soil temperature this spring and bionutrition would be effective.

Can you tell us some of your findings concerning the value of bionutrients?

Work at the University of Nebraska over several years has consistently shown that the use of bionutrition-based products can reduce the applied nitrogen by as much as 30 percent without compromising turf quality and function. Additionally, although less definitive, we have shown increased soil uptake of several micro-nutrients which were not a component of the product application.


October saw an unseasonably warm summer coming to a close, and tips from Brian Benedict, superintendent at The Seawane Club on handling hot weather with bionutrition.

In addition to traditional applications of nitrogen, the incorporation of triplex mowing and careful watering, Benedict incorporated roots granular fertilizer with mycorrhiza in aerification holes to stimulate root elongation and growth. He also uses CPR on a regular basis on his greens at four ounces per thousand square feet every seven to 10 days as part of his foliar program.

“I believe the sea plant extract combined with our nitrogen, calcium and magnesium/manganese program has really helped our greens. Also, we changed over to the Progressive Turf liquid fertilizer this year (10-3-5). Progressive is a soy bean extract-based product that seems to really have a wonderful effect on our Poa/bent greens. On the fairways we use plant food molasses on a 14-day interval at a rate of one gallon per acre. I believe the continued application of simple sugars will help the plant through periods of stress.”


In December, Dr. Clark Throssell talked about how cytokinin, found in seaweed extract, helps keep plants operating at their best, even under heat stress.

Explain what cytokinin is and how it works on turfgrass?

Dr. Throssell: Cytokinin is a plant hormone that promotes cell division and plays a role in many plant processes. Seaplant extract products contain high levels of cytokinin. Cytokinin production in creeping bentgrass is naturally high in spring and declines in summer as temperatures increase. By applying a seaplant extract product that contains cytokinin, superintendents can maintain more creeping bentgrass roots during periods of heat stress compared to creeping bentgrass not treated with seaplant extract. More roots translate to improved turfgrass performance.

What can superintendents do now to boost turfgrass health next year?

An opportunity to improve creeping bentgrass putting green performance in 2013 exists with regular applications of seaplant extract containing cytokinins. Now is the time to learn more about cytokinin and seaplant extract products that contain cytokinin.