As we jump into the summer, defense becomes the name of the game. This means sports field managers should keep summer stress top of mind. Summer stress is simply a catch-all word describing the different stressors—both biotic and abiotic—that appear during hot, dry conditions. Biotic stressors include pathogens, pests, and weeds, while abiotic stressors include heat and drought, among other things. No matter the issue, we offer some great options to help battle these harsh conditions.
Foliar-Pak Armament Concentrate
Armament Concentrate is an excellent product for overall turf and soil health, and it has a cumulative effect with multiple applications. It’s also useful for relieving summer stress on your fields. For instance, Armament Concentrate enables the plant to utilize more nutrients during the most stressful summer growth periods by buffering against nutrient tie-up. Sticking with the nutrient theme, Armament Concentrate also protects nutrients, keeps them in solution, and makes them available to the plant, allowing it to access a full suite of nutrients.
Armament Concentrate is also handy for summer stress because it fosters microbial activity; as Armament Concentrate breaks down, it feeds the microbial community in the soil. Over time, buffering against nutrient tie-up, protecting nutrients and keeping them available in solution, and feeding the microbial community will help improve overall soil structure and flocculation. Assisting the overall soil structure and flocculation will help maintain a healthy soil rhizosphere during the most stressful periods of the year.
Foliar-Pak Grow-In
Grow-In contains a complete nutrient analysis and helps turf recover from stress. It’s formulated with a proprietary combination of carbon sources that stimulate plant biomass production, increase rooting, improve soil biological activity, and help the plant counteract abiotic stresses.
You can spray Grow-In on any turf area of your sports field suffering from traffic damage. Slowed growth, discoloration, and generally poor health are signs that a Grow-In application would be helpful. You can target specific areas or spray as broadly as needed. The general application rate for Grow-In is 9 to 15 fluid ounces per thousand square feet.
Soil Surfactants
Soil surfactants, also called wetting agents, are a valuable tool that can help sports field managers minimize the effects of heat stress on their playing fields throughout the summer months. They work both preventatively and curatively, helping improve water penetration and making water more available for the plant to access. They also help re-wet any dried-down soil profiles.
HydroPak BioWet is an excellent product that can help get your field through the rough summer months. It reduces soil surface tension and increases water infiltration, allowing more rain and irrigation water to reach the rootzone. With more rain and irrigation water in the rootzone, the plant has adequate water when it needs it most. Having proper and adequate moisture in the rootzone also allows more nutrients to be in solution and available for plant uptake.
Heavier irrigation cycles occur on athletic fields in the summer, which leads to an increase in the harmful components of irrigation water (bicarbonates, sodium, chlorine, sulfates, carbonates, excessive desirable nutrients, etc.) that get into the soil. BioWet fights this by buffering and working some of these bad actors through the profile, specifically bicarbonates.
Another effective soil surfactant is Precip, by The Aquatrols Company, which primarily works to keep soil moisture available to plants while also helping move water into the soil profile.
ArmorTech Zoxy-PG
Summer brings high temperatures and humidity, creating a perfect environment for disease outbreaks. Zoxy-PG is a granular fungicide that combines azoxystrobin (0.31%) and propiconazole (0.75%), utilizing both root and leaf uptake to deliver preventative and curative control for up to 28 days. Zoxy-PG is a broad-spectrum fungicide that targets foliar, stem, and root diseases, including leaf and stem blight, leaf spots, patch diseases, anthracnose, fairy rings, mildews, molds, and rust.
Precision Laboratories In-Flow
Proper water management is important during the hot, dry conditions summer brings, especially on infields. In-Flow is a granular soil conditioner and surfactant that influences water’s ability to flow into and throughout the profile of infield skins. In-Flow is not only a soil-penetrating or infiltration product; it also contains hydrating chemistry that helps maintain moisture deeper in the profile. This means In-Flow can assist in balancing water content, keep the fields more playable, and reduce hard surfaces during dry periods.
In-Flow is a blended chemistry that both pushes water in while maintaining volumetric water content (holding it) in the soil. This means you can achieve your desired balance between water retention and movement, resulting in a better-performing infield over a longer period of time. When watering between games to ensure the correct amount of moisture, applying In-Flow reduces the amount of water needed to get to that level and saves time.
For more on summer stress symptoms and how to combat them, reach out to your ATS rep for guidance that’s tailored to your specific situation, region, and needs.
