Adjuvants make excellent tank-mix partners for herbicide, insecticide, and fungicide applications on your golf course. Here are a few specific ways to incorporate adjuvants into your program.
Pre-Emergent Herbicide and Insecticide Applications
Various factors can affect the quality and duration of pre-emergent herbicide applications. Human error aside, irrigation and thatch are two of the biggest causes of breakthrough. Whether you intend to spread your pre-emergent on a fertilizer carrier or spray it, the use of a quality penetrant will significantly enhance your results.
If you’re going to invest the time to apply control products, use Hydro-Pak Command to get your chemical through the thatch layer and to the soil by breaking the surface tension of organic matter. As a tank-mix partner, Command adds less than $10 an acre to your treatment but dramatically increases your chances for success. You should also use it to enhance results when applying grub prevention products.
Dormant Warm-Season Herbicide Applications
When spraying for broadleaf and annual weeds with a non-selective herbicide on dormant warm-season turf, including an adjuvant will improve application performance. Products like Border 2.0 and Chem-Stik LpH help control the droplet size and manage drift, which allows your non-selective herbicide to attach more uniformly to your target species.
Fungicide Applications
When applying fungicides to lower disease pressure, a good wetting agent such as Percolate or Revolution will help reduce surface moisture and hold water in the root zone where it needs to be. Wetting agents also reduce the risk of scalping or damaging the crown of the plant.
Don’t wait until the heat of the summer to start making your wetting agent applications. A good water management plan with soil surfactant applications helps maintain the deepest roots and healthiest turf.
Check out this resource for more adjuvant recommendations, and consult your ATS sales representative for help selecting the best products for your course.