Helping your course recover from summer stress is one of the biggest priorities (and challenges) you’ll face as we get closer to the fall.
When assessing thin areas, you’ll need to determine whether the turf is recoverable with fertilizer products or if you’ll need to seed. Once you’ve figured out that piece of the puzzle, the next step is to employ cultural practices like verticutting, aerifying, and spiking. These will help open up canopies and improve airflow through the soil.
If the turf is recoverable, fertilizer applications will play a major role in the recovery process. Higher-dollar areas traditionally receive more precise inputs. Most superintendents I know use a granular fertilizer for roughs, a granular or foliar option for fairways, depending on how extensive the damage is and what their budget allows, and a well-rounded foliar approach for greens.
Recommendations for Greens
The Foliar-Pak line has proven itself to be very effective. High rates of Foundation Forty are the best thing I’ve seen work on stressed greens. Grow-In is also excellent. If you’re spraying foliarly, I’d go with Grow-In.
If you’re doing a soil spray, I’d recommend running Foundation Forty and Grow-In as a combination. Wetting agents and biostimulants are both great additions to soil applications, and can really help with recovery. HydroPak Percolate is an excellent wetting agent for rehydration, Colonise Bio stimulates roots, and Armament P (Armament K is another effective option) helps promote root growth.
Other Considerations
If you’re seeding, Grow-In is probably the best thing to have in your arsenal to help seed germinate and grow in.
Everyone has different acreages, different budgets, and different conditions. For instance, up here in Michigan this year, a lot of people’s roughs are struggling due to drought, in spite of good irrigation. The plan for a course like that will be vastly different from one that had a mild summer. You should reach out to your ATS rep for personalized product recommendations.
Finally, there’s no ‘magic wand’ when it comes to products. These products need to have a good baseline to work with, which comes in the form of your cultural practices. The products are going to work very well if you create an optimal environment for them to do their jobs.
