It goes without saying the key to disease and pest prevention is taking steps to ensure turfgrass is in peak health. This can be done by removing as many stress potentials from the equation as possible. One of the most efficient ways to build healthy turf that’s resistant to disease and pests is through a comprehensive and sound water management program.
There are a number of components that can have an increase in overall plant health, and if any of these things isn’t maintained to a specific standard, overall plant health suffers and opens the plant up to allow a slew of problems, not the least being increased disease susceptibility, says Colin Seaberg, golf course superintendent at Ozaukee Country Club in Mequon, Wis.
“Probably the most dynamic component in influencing overall plant health is hydration,” Seaberg says. “Making sure the grass has the correct level of water is an important daily task. Because most, if not all, of the basic plant functions, including photosynthesis, hormone activation and movement, plant metabolism functions, and gas exchange, ties back to the fact that there must be an adequate water source for the plant to utilize.”
Brian Barrington, golf course superintendent at The Golf Club at Oxford Greens in Oxford, Conn., agrees proper water management is crucial to ensure healthy turf and prevent disease.
“With proper water management, you decrease your chances of disease infection,” Barrington says. “If you overwater and oversaturate the soil, you’re giving the pathogen a place to breed and survive.”
One means to achieving and maintaining proper moisture levels in the soil profile and making sure water, along with herbicides and fungicides, reach the root zone where it can do the most good is the use of soil surfactants or wetting agents.
Diseases such as dollar spot, anthracnose, pythium, summer decline, and fairy ring are exacerbated in dry or wet conditions and when the plant is overly stressed. Wetting agents, along with a fungicide program, can help control or even prevent disease by ensuring adequate water is plant available, soil-directed fungicides penetrate the surface and are uniformly distributed throughout the root zone, and turfgrass is in peak health. Research at Penn State, Clemson University and the University of Connecticut show the importance of using a wetting agent to improve efficacy of fungicides to control fairy ring, anthracnose and algae.
Wetting agents can be seen as assisting disease control by helping the plant maintain the water it needs so the plant can be as healthy as possible, says Dan Connolly, golf course superintendent at Aberdeen Country Club in North Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Tony Grasso, golf course superintendent at Metropolis Country Club in White Plains, N.Y., sees a direct correlation between the use of soil surfactants, his fertilizer program and the overall health of his turfgrass.
“The soil surfactant keeps excess water off the surface and helps me get more out of my fungicide applications,” Grasso says. “Add that to a good fertilizer program and you get healthy turf even during stressful times.”
Paul Miller, golf course superintendent at Nashawtuc Country Club in Concord, Mass., struggled with fairy ring on some of his greens. He used wetting agents to get the water and moisture off the top of the greens and the fungicide down into the soil profile and toward the root zone as quickly and efficiently as possible.
“What we’ve found is that the wetting agent helps keep the greens nice and firm, tight and dry and we don’t struggle with fairy ring, Miller says. “It’s not an exact science, and different products work differently on each course and climate. You’ve got to know your soil and grass and sometimes learn through trial and error.”
Proper water management can go a long way in helping turfgrass resist disease and pests by creating a healthy plant. Wetting agents have been demonstrated to be important tools superintendents have at their disposal. They help better manage the water to ensure proper soil moisture levels that allow for maximum root-zone uptake of nutrients and better distribution of fungicides. The end result is increased turf performance, even under stressful conditions. GCI
Kathleen Conard is marketing manager T&O for Aquatrols, a wetting agent manufacturer based in Paulsboro, N.J.