|
|
All of us know the old cliché, “do more with less.” This is wise advice in 2009, with the shaky economy and tightening budgets. But how do you cut budgets while simultaneously maintaining course conditions the way your customers demand?
Some of you will start by hiring fewer employees or reducing overtime. But many of you will be forced to cut into your capital or chemical budgets.
If you’re forced to decrease your chemical budget where do you start? Do you shift to a more curative approach, treating problems as they arise instead of preventively? Do you treat tees and greens but limit fairways applications? Or do you use less expensive fertilizers? None of these options is ideal when turf health depends on these inputs and players demand the same quality and playability regardless of your budget.
The good news is there are ways to do more with less, stretch your budget dollars and get more from your inputs. Soil wetting agents (a.k.a. soil surfactants) and foliar surfactants can help enhance the results of fertilizer, insecticide and fungicide applications, allowing you to maintain course conditions while spending less money.
Increasing fertilizer and chemical performance
Since fertilizer is one of the costliest basic necessities in your budget, practices that help you get the most out of your fertilizer treatments can be a big budget stretcher. Research has shown that certain soil surfactants improve the retention and availability of nitrogen. This means that more nitrogen is available for your turf, less is wasted and the potential for unintended leaching is reduced. Soil surfactants ensure that more of what you apply gets into the root zone where the plant can use it. The resulting increase in efficiency can mean a net savings in your spending.
Fungicides, insecticides and herbicides are other important, yet costly, inputs. Even with the lower cost post-patent options, these chemical costs add up. Whether you employ curative or preventive approaches or a combination of programs, any way you can optimize the efficiency of your applications offers the opportunity to reduce costs and maintain results. Here again, surfactants – in this case soil or foliar depending on the pest and chemical – can contribute significantly.
|
|
“Surfactants keep our greens drier by moving excess water through the profile. We always mix a surfactant with our fungicides to control fairy ring on our greens” says Kevin Seibel, Century Country Club, in Purchase, N.Y.
Optimized efficiency and improved performance of soil-directed pesticides require uniform delivery to the target area with minimum losses to leaching. Studies show that soil surfactants have consistently helped in these areas.
Good delivery, precise product placement and reduced potential for leaching will help maximize pesticide applications, control costs and protect the environment.
Foliar surfactants (spray adjuvants) are also available to significantly improve leaf spreading, coverage and penetration of foliar fungicides, insecticides and herbicides. Foliar surfactants reduce the likelihood of repeat applications, which in turn can save money on product and labor.
Save 20 to 50 percent
Sound water management is a complementary, low-cost practice for suppressing and preventing many diseases. Too much water creates conditions for certain pathogens to breed and thrive; too little water stresses the plant and leaves it susceptible to attack.
Soil surfactants not only help your fungicides effectively reach the target area, they also help reduce surface moisture by allowing water to move quickly and uniformly into and throughout the soil. This, in turn, improves moisture conditions in the root zone, which helps turf stay healthy and better defend itself against stress and stress-related diseases.
Last, but not least, water conservation is an opportunity for saving money. Water is one of the biggest expenses on the golf course; not only the cost of the water itself, but associated electricity and labor costs. Research and superintendent use show soil surfactants reduce water use by 20 to 50 percent.
“I have been using surfactants for close to 20 years to help with my course’s specific water and soil-related problems,” says Jim Pavonetti, of Fairview Country Club in Greenwich, Conn. “I have been able to significantly reduce the amount of hand-watering we do. This has enabled me to deliver firm, fast conditions to my membership with a cost savings, and without the additional stress that normally comes with these conditions.”
Surfactants ensure that moisture is evenly distributed in the soil. They allow reduced water use while preventing localized dry spots from water repellency and localized wet areas. Research and superintendent experiences have shown that certain soil surfactants increase days between irrigations with no loss in turf quality.
“I use Dispatch surfactant course-wide to help keep the soil profile moist. With a limited amount of available water, it is a very useful tool to keep course conditions up,” says Glenn Denney, of Alto Lakes Golf and Country Club, in New Mexico. If you can reduce watering even one day per week, your savings will more than cover the cost of the soil surfactant program.
Using soil wetting agents and foliar surfactants is a great way to spread fertilizer, fungicide and water budgets further. In 2009, take advantage of these valuable tools to successfully “do more with less” and meet both your budget and turf management goals.
Conard is the market manager for Aquatrols. She has worked in the green industry for more than 20 years. Her experience spans root zone, soil, and water management in the turf and ornamental industries. Conard also heads up the Water Impact Alliance, an organization that helps turf and ornamental professionals effectively communicate with local regulators and people in their community about water, environmental stewardship and optimizing efficient use of water resources.