Armament® ZnB: The Grass is Greener on the Other Side

There are times in my travels when I often wonder if what I’m doing is really “making a difference.” Winter season means education season, which in turn includes quite a bit of travel for educational seminars across the Midwest. I thoroughly enjoy my time in front of people and educating folks has been a large part of my life’s work. Education is empowerment after all—and there’s nothing more satisfying than empowering people and effectuating positive change in our industry. 

This past education season, I had the opportunity to talk about Foliar-Pak®’s new granular-spray product called Armament ZnB. For those of you who missed it, or need a refresher, the concept of Armament ZnB is that most of our soils are deficient in zinc and boron naturally. Zinc and boron are necessary for root growth and development. Zinc is necessary for auxin development, which controls growth at the tips of your shoots and roots. It is also necessary for tryptophan synthesis, which turns into a key rooting hormone after a biological conversion in the soil. Boron, on the other hand, is important for cell wall development. Without boron, you can’t have calcium deposition—and that’s pretty important to new roots. In addition to this, we included a large dose of our Armament technology, which is a patented amino-acid polymer that increases the uptake and availability of the nutrients in the soil. It was a product that took over a year to perfect, and we were all excited about its release. And what did we want to see from the Armament ZnB addition? Better rooting with a faster and longer-lasting green up.

So, after spraying approximately 3,000 tons of fertilizer with Armament ZnB thus far, where are we now? What have we seen? Has the grass been greener with the Armament ZnB addition? Thanks to a colder than expected April, we’re still early in the season, but here’s what I’ve heard thus far:

A lawn care operator in the Chicagoland area switched this year from a generic 30-0-6 formulation to Advanced Turf Solutions’s 22-0-4 with Armament ZnB. The LCO said that his lawns look great and the color has been outstanding. In one of his neighborhoods, one property’s lawn looks so much better than the competitors’ lawns that he’s gained four new customers in the neighborhood.

There’s another customer that ordered a pallet of 16-28-12 without Armament ZnB, but ended up with two bags with Armament ZnB to try. This customer wanted a started fertilizer to use with his grass seed. The formulation with Armament ZnB grew in faster and stronger and with better roots. 

Finally, a golf course superintendent in Indiana has always had a difficult time getting his bluegrass bunkers to come out of the spring and begin new growth and green up. Instead of the standard 22-0-4, he decided to give the Armament ZnB formulation a try. The treated bunkers were looking great in short order, and the comment was made that he wasn’t sure if the grass could get any greener. After looking at the pictures, I’d have to agree. With Armament ZnB, the grass is greener on the other side.

Photo credit: Brad Emerick

Photo location: Sycamore Hills Country Club, Hole #9, Fort Wayne, IN
Superintendent John Thompson

George Murray
President, EnP Investments, LLC

Leaf Spot and Dollar Spot Disease Management

Cultural and disease management programs are essential for maintaining high quality turf all season long. Prevent both leaf spot and dollar spot activity by using a broad-spectrum fungicide like ArmorTech®TMI 2020 XL. With two powerful active ingredients, Thiophanate-methyl and Iprodione, TMI 2020 XL offers different modes of action in one convenient product.

As a reminder, be sure to check your water pH before adding your fungicide to the tank. High water pH will cause alkaline hydrolysis, thus, reducing your chemical performance. Chem-Stik LpH™ by Precision can be a great tool for monitoring water pH.

Begin your spray program on greens, tees or fairways for preventative maintenance. Be sure to select the proper spray nozzle and volume of water for uniform coverage. One to two gallons of water per M will offer adequate coverage, allowing the spray mixture to cover the leaf surface and the active ingredients to be absorbed. Continue for 7 to 14 days; then rotate to a fungicide consisting of a different action mode such as DMI, contacts, or the new SDH-I’s. Add ArmorTech® Optimizer™ Green Shade to improve turf color and quality to help manage stresses and moisture.

Turfgrass Application Rates for TMI 2020 XL (Dollar/Leaf Spot)

Use Site	Timing	Disease Pressure	Rate/M	Notes
Tees/Greens/Aprons	Spring-Summer	Light-Medium	1-2 oz or 2-4 oz	Apply 7-14 days
Fairways	Spring-Summer	Light-Medium	1-2 oz or 2-4 oz	Apply 7-14 days

Sticking to the Plan

With the weather forecast finally predicting a stretch of warm weather, the 2016 turf maintenance season is about to be in full swing. This time of year, I often see turf managers skip applications that they had planned for when they wrote their programs. While this may be a smart move occasionally, it should not be the rule for everything. Skipping preventative applications may save some money in the short term, but often, this decision is met with regret later in the season. The biggest culprits of this "application omission" that I observe are wetting agent, aquatic weed management and fungicide applications. 

If wetting agent applications are skipped in the spring, soil particles will become increasingly hydrophobic. If the soil becomes too hydrophobic, it can be excruciatingly difficult to wet during the summer. A situation like this will stress turf, possibly lead to LDS and increase the chances of turf mortality.  

Applying aquatic herbicides before aquatic weeds get too large in size is ideal. It is much easier to kill a small plant with a herbicide than a large one. Just because you may not see weeds in your ponds now does not mean they are not present. I assure you that you will see them emerge. If you skipped your early herbicide application, you will be fighting an uphill battle.

Dollar spot will be rearing its ugly head soon. This is one disease that can get out of hand quickly. Keep dollar spot populations in check by applying preventative fungicides like Xzemplar. This will keep dollar spot at a manageable level throughout the season, so you are not constantly battling this potentially devastating disease.

Remember, it is early in the season. You want your turf and ponds to be set up for success going into the stressful summer months. Don't skip an application to save a few dollars now, you will most likely regret it later. Stick to the plan!

Brett Ziegler

Progro-Solutions

The Ultimate Ornamental Package

The Ultimate Ornamental Package is made of a synergistic blend of Foliar-Pak® products and a next-generation Holganix® product:

Holganix PB1

PB1 is a synergistic blend of Holganix-infused components, including a high concentration of 8 species of beneficial  bacteria and mycorrhizae, enhanced with Armament technology to improve nutrient utilization. For more information on Armament technology, click here.

    
Foliar-Pak Bio 12-6-6

Plant Benefits: Bio-based nutrients improve nutrient uptake and improve the plant's ability to use those nutrients. 

Soil benefits: Soil micro-organisms, provided by 12-6-6 Bio, provide better soil structure, nutrient holding capacity, and nutrient availability.

   
Foliar-Pak Chloroburst

Provides the iron and manganese necessary to build chlorophyll pigments in the leaves, allowing the plant to go through the process of photosynthesis and make energy for itself. It also provides the zinc necessary for the plant to go through RNA synthesis and auxin synthesis. The latter is crucial for growth at the apical meristems of plants. This allows for an increase in both shoot and root growth.

Tree, Shrub, and Perennial Program

Maintenance Rates:

• Mix 1 gallon Holganix PB1, 1 gallon Foliar-Pak Bio 12-6-6, and 1 pound Foliar-Pak Chloroburst in 100 gallons of water.
• Apply 1 gallon of mixture per DBH.
• Apply more Chloroburst in situations where the plant or tree is experiencing chronic iron or manganese deficiencies (3 oz per inch DBH, if applying to shrubs or perennials, use a sprench (spray/drench) application). 

Annual Program

Maintenance Rates:

• Apply 8-10 lbs of 2-4-3 Healthy Grow with Holganix per 1000 sq.ft. in annual beds. This produces rapid root development with improved disease and insect resistance.
• Water twice a month with 1 gallon Holganix PB1, 1 gallon 12-6-6 Bio and 1 lb Chloroburst per 100 gallons of water. 

Above: Without Holganix

Above: With Holganix

The premise of these packages is to enable the plant to produce a healthier root system. This means, by providing food to microbes in the soil and enabling nutrients and water to become more readily available to the plant, it will be able to endure stress during the growing season.

Please click on the brochures below for more in-depth information on Holganix PB1, Foliar-Pak 12-6-6 and Foliar-Pak Chloroburst. This is going to blow your mind!

Brian Hissem, ProGro Sales Representative
Greg Pavlovcic, ProGro Sales Representative

SurfCote® N-4: The New Wave of Turf Technology

You work hard to maintain the quality and color of your turf. But now it’s become just a little bit easier, with SurfCote® N-4 extended-release fertilizer. SurfCote® N-4 uses innovative polymer resin to provide a temperature-dependent nutrient release. As temperatures warm, urea nitrogen is released at a consistent rate, to match the nutrient demand of the turf. The warmer it gets, the more nutrients SurfCote® N-4 delivers. After complete release, the polymer decomposes into naturally occurring compounds. By extending nutrient release by up to 120 days, SurfCote® N-4 helps turf achieve its full potential for growth and vigor. It keeps turf healthy, lush, and green, without short-lived early season growth flushes.

Get the advantage with SurfCote® N-4.

Each SurfCote® N-4 fertilizer granule is encased in a durable microthin shell. The patented polymer coating consistently releases nitrogen, according to temperature. Every blade of grass gets the nutrition it needs when it needs it most.

Extend your chances of success.

Successful turf management is all about consistent efficient nutrition, reduced labor costs, and environmental stewardship. Ask your representative for complete information about SurfCote® N-4 extended-release fertilizer.

SurfCote® N-4 = Environmental Stewardship

• Reduces nitrogen loss due to ammonia volatilization and leaching
• Improves nitrogen efficiency
• Enhances nutrient uptake through gradual nutrient release (enhanced efficiency fertilizer) 

SurfCote® N-4 for Greener, Healthier Turf

• Consistent release of nutrients for up to 120 days
• Delivers uniform color and growth
• Saves time, labor and energy
• Extremely durable shell for more consistent performance
• Available in SGN 150 and 240 sizes