The Vegetation Manager
Reduce Stress - Soil Test!
12 May 2010
Whether it is the extremes of winter or summer, significant environmental stress can be placed on turfgrass. This is usually combined with other stresses such as traffic that the turfgrass has to endure. There is little we can do to control this, however we can control soil nutrition and eliminate it as a contributor to turfgrass stress. By using an analytical approach we can eliminate soil nutrition as a limiting factor in producing quality turf and optimal playing conditions all year round.
Soil nutrition is the most critical factor in turfgrass health and performance. It determines how we manage our turfgrass because it will play a major role in how well the turfgrass handles stress placed upon it. Turfgrass grown in soils of inadequate nutrition and therefore poor root-zone conditions, will require additional management inputs such as fungicides, herbicides, fertilisers, wetting agents and even more cultural practices such as aeration. Meanwhile turfgrass grown in soil with optimal root-zone conditions will require limited additional inputs to maintain an acceptable turf quality. Therefore it is essential that optimal conditions through adequate soil nutrition are consistently maintained. The target level of soil nutritional components to achieve optimal root-zone conditions is;
- 70% Calcium at approximately 1100ppm
- 15% Magnesium at approximately 150ppm
- 5% Potassium at approximately 160ppm
A Soil Analysis will determine the levels of each essential soil nutrient and highlight any nutritional imbalances. It should be noted that irrigation water quality can have a major effect on soil nutrition. If a significant nutritional imbalance exists or poor quality irrigation water is suspected, perform a Turfgrass Irrigation Suitability Analysis.
Balancing soils nutritionally and achieving optimal soil conditions will:
- Produce healthier and stronger turfgrass that can better cope with stress placed upon it. This will reduce the need for other inputs such as fungicides to maintain a quality playing surface.
- Create more favourable soil conditions for better utilisation of applied fertilisers and for a greater effect from organic / microbial based products.
- Ensure good soil structure is maintained allowing the profile to be free draining. This will ensure moisture is removed from the surface penetrating deep into the root-zone (bringing oxygen with it) preventing surface algae and moss from developing.
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| Unbalanced Soil | Balanced Soil |
Nutritional and organic soil amendments are used to balance a soil and provide optimum root-zone conditions that support healthy turfgrass growth. Correct interpretation and recommendations provided by nutrition agronomists that specialise in turfgrass will result in appropriate strategies to rectify soil nutritional issues to relieve the turfgrass and the turf manager of unnecessary stress!
Greenway Solutions Pty Ltd specialise in nutrition agronomy and irrigation water quality, specifically related to the management of professional turf grass. Paul Spencer has worked in the turfgrass industry for over 12 years and is an expert in the professional management of turf.
Back to past articles.
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4 August 2010
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