Golf courses in the Southern zone of the United States are constantly under a barrage of pressure from extreme heat during the summer months.
Paul Brandenburg, course superintendent of Furman Golf Club in Greenville, S.C., says bionutrient products have helped him strengthen his turfgrass in order for it to better withstand the worst weather Mother Nature can throw at it.
“I really feel like they give us an added benefit to our fertility program,” he says. “I try to use kelp/seaweed products as long as I don’t feel like they are overpriced. I honestly do feel like they help with disease resistance and stress recovery. We also feel like they help with heat/drought tolerance. Also, I feel like root growth is enhanced. Mainly the benefit is healthier turf, which hopefully will handle stress better.”
Brandenburg has employed bionutrients mainly on the greens at Furman Golf Club, but also on some tees, high traffic areas and on grow-in areas where there are Bermuda grass sprigs and sod. About 95 percent of the bionutrients are applied foliarly through a sprayer, he says. He has also tried “an occasional granular product.” He admits to being a bit skeptical prior to using bionutrient products but quickly became a believer.
“Many of the products have been around a long time and some of them have a track record now and have been reported as successful via word of mouth and also when superintendents get together,” he says.
But don’t get fooled by bionutrition products that provide no benefit, he says.
“My advice to anyone considering them is don’t overpay. Make sure there are actually active ingredients on the label and in the container,” he says. “I always look (and feel) to see how heavy the product is. You always want to understand the science. You never want to feel like you have spent too much money on a product.
“I would recommend bionutrients to other superintendents. I definitely think that there is value to some of the products that have been out there for several years or more. There is university research that demonstrates these products will work in certain environments. New products are really hard to buy into but we all want to use something that has been proven to work.”
