Endurant Turf Colorant is organic, long-lasting and without the blue hue that other brands often have.

Certified Golf Course Superintendent Don Garrett decided to apply Endurant to Walker Course at Clemson University in November. The green was vibrant, lasting three months until deciding to reapply the Endurant this week.

Turf paint is being suggested for sustainability and affordability by the United States Golf Association, especially instead of the common practice of overseeding. Learn more about Endurant, a sustainable, earth-friendly turf colorant provided by Geoponics, at www.TurfPaint.net. Read about the USGA recommendations here.

Geoponics representative Patrick Donelan shares photographs of Endurant over the course of several months demonstrating its lasting color on Garrett’s course in SC. These are from the Walker Course at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina.

GEOPONICS SITS DOWN WITH GREENSKEEPER ABOUT HIS RESULTS AFTER SWITCHING FROM OTHER WETTING AGENT TO THE SOIL SURFACTANT PENTERRA

Pat Nagle, General Manager Charleville Golf Club, Ireland
(www.charlevillegolf.com)

Q. Can you tell me a bit about Charleville Golf Club?
A. It’s a 27-hole parkland course located in Southern Ireland’s province of Munster. We have a driving range, two chipping greens and two putting greens.

Q. What type of turf and soil?
A. The soil is very heavy. It’s clay. We have 30 greens and 15 are sand based and 15 are soil based.

Q. What Geoponics products are you using?
A. Penterra

Q. How did you hear about Geoponics products and why did you decide to try them?
A. A Geoponics sales representative from the Irish distributor, ProGrass, Brian O’Carroll, called me about six months ago or more. I investigated the products on the website and it looked like the products were quite good. The wetting agent we were using was OK, but the Penterra sounded better and we tried it. First we tried it on a few tee boxes. Then we we tried a few greens. Then we tried them all.

Q. What challenges do you commonly face?
A. Dew. That was our number one reason for using Penterra. We had heavy dew in the morning.

 

Q. What results did you see with the Penterra?
A. There was no dew. That controlled disease. The mild temperatures of 16 to 17 degrees Celsius, mild and muggy with dew, those were ideal conditions for disease. We found with no dew on the greens, it was a big help in controlling disease like outbreaks of fusarium patch.
The turf looked healthier, we had tremendous color.
The savings more than pays for the Penterra between not having to buy fungicide and the fact we don’t need to come in on the weekends to tend to wet turf when we put it on in advance and at the right rate.

 

Q. How is the drier surface affecting playability?
A. Players are not complaining. If they’re not complaining, they’ll find something else. (laughs) There’s no discussion on the greens, which is great.

Q. How did Penterra compare to your previous wetting agent?
A. The other wetting agent didn’t control dew. It’s a different ball game with Penterra. There’s no comparison. We are very happy using Penterra. I have only good things to say about it.

 

Q. How was your service with Geoponics in regards to technical support, especially?
A. The guys are great. They know what they’re talking about. It’s hard convincing greenkeepers to try a new product. We’ll use the same product for 25 years.

Q. Anything I didn’t ask that might help others in the greenskeeping, golf course superintendent or turf management fields?
A. It’s worth trying the product. It’s the best soil surfactant I’ve come across.

 

Contact us

Geoponics Corp

(www.GeoponicsCorp.com)

1-877-667-6330

info@GeoponicsCorp.com

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View other news and testimonials from others in the turf management field here.

 

For the Geoponics distributor in Ireland and the U.K., contact ProGrass (www.ProGrass.ie) now carrying even more Geoponics products as seen here.

Click here for ProGrass contact details.

 

Dermy Jones, greenskeeper, Raffeen Creek Golf Club, Ringaskiddy, Ireland

(www.raffeencreekgolfclub.com  )

Q: Can you tell us a bit about Raffeen Creek Golf Club and its features?

 

Greenskeeper Dermy Jones: It’s located 12 miles outside of Cork City. It’s very close to the sea at Cork Harbour but without being a links course. We have a 9-hole golf course, an 18-hole pitch and putt course and two soccer pitches.  We have two saltwater lakes.

 

 

 

Q: What are the soil and turf like?

Greenskeeper Dermy Jones: Limestone. It’s silty, heavy soil. The greens are of the old construction style with predominantly annual meadow grass greens, but we keep a lovely surface.

Currently temperatures are between -2 degrees Celsius and 10 degrees. Growth is very, very slow. We’re mowing once or twice a week.

 

Q: Which Geoponics products are you using?

Greenskeeper Dermy Jones: Penterra (www.Penterra.net) and Detox (www.SoilDetox.com)

 

 

 

Q: How did you discover Geoponics products and why did you choose to try them?

Greenskeeper Dermy Jones: A ProGrass representative (Brian O’Carroll) called me about five months ago. He and a greenskeeper in midland Ireland told me about Penterra and Detox. I read the literature on it. Unless you try something yourself, you wont’ actually see the results.

 

Q: What challenges do you or others in your area typically face?

Greeenskeeper Dermy Jones: We had a very, very wet summer. Actually we had a wet year. In 2012, we got a meter and a half of rainfall throughout the year.

The surfaces were wet. The greens were holding water. As much as we aerate, as much as we sand, the surface water was sitting there. With that and the dew, the conditions were perfect for disease.

 

Q: How did Penterra assist with the challenges of a wet surface, dew and disease susceptibility?

Greenskeeper Dermy Jones: For taking dew off the surface, I’ve never seen anything like it and I’ve been a greenskeeper for 25 years and worked on three courses. The Penterra pulls the moisture out of the top layer much better than anything else I’ve used.

It makes cutting much better. The Penterra even keeps the frost off the greens. There’s not as much moisture there to freeze. Every 14 days we spray and there is no dew, no disease.

We were looking to get the water off the surface and the Penterra did just what it said it would do. Our greens have dried up so much. We’ve been open everyday, except for a couple of mornings for frost.

 

Q: As for the Detox, was this to address sodium in your soil?

Greenskeeper Dermy Jones: Yes. We’re starting with the two together—Penterra and Detox. I found great results with this. I’m still waiting on the soil analysis test to come back.

We got saltwater on one of our fairways after a high tide a couple of times. The first time the water was high the turf yellowed and took some time to recover. It looked like it was dying off. But this next time it happened, we put the Detox on it as soon as we got the water off. It greened up again in a matter of days.

 

Q: How was your service with Geoponics in regard to technical assistance?

Greenskeeper Dermy Jones: (Brian O’Carroll) The distributor from ProGrass (www.Prograss.ie) keeps me up-to-date. I can ring him up anytime and ask him what products I can put with it. He rings me on a regular basis and asks if I have any problems.

 

Q: Any other experiences or tips I may not have asked that could help other greenskeeper or golf course superintendents?

Greenskeeper Dermy Jones: I haven’t been through a full growing season with Penterra yet, but if it’s even half as good of a soil surfactant as it is a wetting agent, it will be superb.

Superintendent Bruce Bach of Twin Eagles Golf Course in Naples, Florida is thrilled with Geganics.

The course recently hosted the LPGA CME Group Titleholders event and the players were impressed with the playability.

The Celebration Bermuda Grass responded gorgeously to the environmentally-friendly fairway program with visible results on first application. Those results also lasted, Bach said.

“I’m sold on Geganics,” said Bach of using Geganics on his closely-mown turf at Twin Eagles.

He’s so sold on the sustainable fairways program provided by Geganics that he’s using it on his other course as he prepares to host the Ace Group Classic.

Geganics comes from combining organic and Geoponics. Organic + Geoponics = Geganics.

Bach is one of many superintendents willingly sharing testimonials to the effectiveness of Geganics and other Geoponics products.

View more information about Geganics here. Watch a video and view an article from Golf Course Industry Magazine here.

Still want more information? Contact us today, info@geoponicscorp.com, 1-877-667-6330.

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Greenkeeper John Peach shares how Geganics on Kikuyu grass leads to spectacular fairways at Paarl Golf Club in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa in just one week. This gorgeous 27-hole course originally opened in 1908 before being relocated and redesigned in 2000 by David Frost and Danie Obermeyer, who brought the Berg River further into play. Learn more about the course here http://www.paarlgolfclub.co.za

Geganics is a customizable fairway program provided by Geoponics Corp that ensures healthy soils leading to vibrant turf. The organic products manage water movement, aerobic diversity, sodium flocculation, lateral and vertical growth and soil nutrients just to name a few benefits.
This sustainable program leads to vibrant color and turf uniformity that superintendents and golf course members alike notice very quickly.
It’s easy, it’s environmentally-friendly and it’s affordable. Contact us for more information.
info@GeoponicsCorp.com 1-877-667-6330.

 

Testimonial:
Tim Haskins, Golf Course Superintendent, The Quarry
When you’re sitting here talking to someone, it makes sense, but until you actually get out in the field and see it work, you don’t really get it.
I can tell you that after spraying Geganics I was on the phone going, “Wow. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
I’ve never seen too many products have an affect on color and this product did. It’s noticeable within an hour or two. My members see a noticeable change.
I’m in a much better spot this year from last year in terms of my color, my density, my moisture management.
We’re getting three or four weeks out of the longevity of the color, which is fantastic. Last year, we actually used a pigment on the fairways just to add a little bit of color. We won’t have to use that this year because of the program. There’s no reason for it.

Look and listen to this superintendent’s experience here:

Try it today. One application and you see a difference!

Contact us:

info@GeoponicsCorp.com 1-877-667-6330.

Geoponics Corp

3415 Radio Road #305

Naples, FL 34104

Geoponics Corp recently caught up with Superintendent Billy Bobbit, of Ballyhack Golf Club in Roanoke, VA to see how things were going on his course.

This gorgeous course is made up of mostly cool season grasses. As Ballyhack’s superintendent, Bobbit said he struggled with the high sodium, sandy soil and bicarbonates. These issues led to challenges with water management, nutrient absorption and algae.

The solutions to all three, said Ballyhack Superintendent Billy Bobbit, were found with Geoponics products. Agriox, Penterra and Detox turned the greens around in just one or two applications.

Bobbit’s colleagues recommended he try Geoponics about a year ago, so he did. Now, he’s recommending Geoponics to others.

BOBBIT ON THE CHALLENGES:

The high sodium and high salt levels caused water infiltration challenges. Water wasn’t getting into the green cavity. The water standing on the surface was causing multiple problems, one being algae. That was from the water not getting down into the soil cavity. We had sodium toxicity from the turf taking up so much salt.

THE SOLUTIONS:

The Penterra was allowing the water to get through that layer on top and actually get down into the root zone where the water was needed. Most of our root zones here are down 6, 8, maybe even 10 inches into the sand. We really needed the water to move through the profile. Penterra did that, which also helped eliminate the algae. We were spraying the Penterra every 10 to 14 days.

The Detox helped flush out the sodium.

We always kind of struggled with algae here. We typically sprayed a fungicide on them—which checked the algae if you will, but we never really got any results out of fungicide like we wanted to see. We were cultivating—spiking and aerifying—and we still didn’t get the algae. Once we started using the Geoponics it really started to get the results we were after ,even with the first to second application.

We started using Geoponics last year when a colleague recommended it.

We started with Penterra.

THE STELLAR RESULTS:

But I have to say, what really, really turned the greens around was the Agriox product. It freed up the nutrients in the soil, or in the sand I should say, and we really got a good growth response out of that. We saw a difference after the first application.

The greens kind of perked up and the health of the greens really changed. Then after we did the second application it really, really came to life then.

There was just so much with the salt build up in the soil, the bicarbonate, once we were able to break up those chemical bonds and free up those nutrients that were in the soil, the greens just really started to grow and out-compete the algae.

The first week in July I thought we were going to do a lot of seeding and plugging on the greens, but really after that second application of Agriox, the greens really responded well. I would definitely recommend it.

The greens just really did a 180. They just turned around. We thought, like I said, we’d be doing a lot of seeding and plugging on the greens just to get a uniform turf coverage out there. But it just really grew out of that funk and we haven’t looked back since.

I can see where the fertilizer spending is decreasing and we’re lowering the input of fertilizer on the greens. I can see us not having to use nearly as much as we’re keeping the water moving through the soil profile and getting those nutrients from being bound up in the sand.

Try for yourself. Contact Geoponics Corp, info@geoponicscorp.com, to see how these and other products may solve the challenges you face as a turf manager.

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Geoponics Corp.

3425 Radio Road No. 202

Naples, FL 34104

877-667-6330

info@geoponicscorp.com

www.GeoponicsCorp.com

 

Soil Wetting Agents

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Property:

Five Ponds Golf Club of Warminster Township, Pennsylvania.

Website:

www.5pondsgc.com

About:

Public golf course built in 1988, features bentgrass greens and several water features. Architecture by Xenophon Hassenplug.

Superintendent:

Eliezer “Papo” Rodriguez

Challenges:

Low-laying land leads to holding a lot of water and flooding; tight taxpayer-based budget.

Product:

Penterra  is a soil penetrant and soil surfactant for addressing hydrophobic profiles and horizons. Penterra keeps soils from locking up, aggregates clay soils, improves soil structure and allows water and oxygen to better reach plant roots by reducing the surface tension between the water and the soil. Penterra assists fertilizers and plants by increasing plant nutrient uptake and keeping the soil aerobic by increasing the amount of oxygen exchanged with the soil profile.

Penterra increases the activity of aerobic micro-organisms necessary for a healthy soil profile environment secondary to water movement. Beneficial secondary effects to LDS (Localized Dry Spot) are noticed to the applied areas quickly.

 

Superintendent’s Results:

“Penterra dries the course very quickly. I fell in love with it! The first time I tried it, there was a big storm coming the next day, so I sprayed the Penterra the day before. It poured all night long!

I came back at 4 o’clock in the morning. I was surprised…. the fairways usually hold water and there was no water on the fairways.

It’s very fast! Plus, Penterra gives it a beautiful green color. My main concern is holding too much water though. We get a lot of rain. This left us with no puddles on there or nothing.”

 

Other comments:

“I’ve been in the golf business since I was 15. I’ve tried a lot of products, a lot of surfactants. Nothing worked this well and this fast. Nothing! Plus, it’s a low rate and affordable.”

 

More information:

Websites:

www.GeoponicsCorp.com

www.Penterra.net

www.SoilSurfactant.com

You Tube:

www.Geoponics.TV

Social media:

www.Facebook.com/Geoponics

www.Twitter.com/Geoponics

Email newsletters subscribe

Contact:

Geoponics Corp
3425 Radio Road
Naples, FL 34104
877-667-6330

email: info@geoponicscorp.com

 

One of the most important aspects of turf maintenance, if not the most important is proper water and/or irrigation techniques. Here we will give you some good ideas for managing soil moisture for your lawn.  

In the golf industry most superintendents will periodically take a soil probe and carefully pull a sample of the soil profile in order to observe different aspects of the soil.  One of those many variables is roots.  

Watering the Lawn for Healthy Roots

Healthy roots are the key to healthy turf.  Grass roots grow in soils that are moist and well aerated or aerobic. This means they have plenty of oxygen.

 For the most part, root growth does not move from dry soil to wet soil looking for water.  If you water your lawn deeply then the roots grow deeper. HydraHawk will help the water penetrate deeper into the soil for deeper root growth.

Keep in mind, most turf grass roots are concentrated in the first 6 to 8 inches of soil. However, some grass species, such as paspalum may grow much deeper.  As these roots grow deeper, the areas by which they can pull water from increase. This is because of the greater surface area to volume of soil reached.  

Water Warning: Too Much Water

However, if you water too much and soil becomes saturated with water and void of oxygen, the roots will not grow deep. Rather, they will stay close to the soil surface.  However, if you irrigate with just enough water to wet the first few inches of soil, then that is where the roots will stay.  Unfortunately, shallow roots usually end up with localized dry spots (LDS) and send turf into stress.

A Little Help From the HydraHawk Wetting Agent for Watering the Lawn

Using a soil wetting agent like HydraHawk can help keep water moving through the soil and allowing for some (but not too much) retention of water.  This combination will assist with keeping the soil and root zone aerobic (with oxygen) and assist with deeper penetrating roots.

 Watering Tips for Your Lawn

• Water to the right depth.  Water should penetrate to the about 6 to 8 inches in the soil’s profile. Watering to a shallow depth may result a shallow rooted lawn that can dry out quickly, however watering too much is wasteful as the roots will only grow to a certain length in general. You can check the to penetration of the water with a stiff metal rod or something similar to a long screwdriver.  The rod will usually move easily through the moist soil and then it will stop or become difficult as your probe reaches dry soil.  If you so choose, you can buy a professional soil probe.  Soil probes remove small cores of soil so that you can feel and observe how moist they are. They are also beneficial for looking at root color and health among other variables.
• Let you lawn dry some between irrigations.  Letting your lawn dry out some between irrigations creates a sustainable water-air relationship that is critical for healthy roots. The lawn, like other plants, will let you know when it is thirsty.
• Avoid water runoff.  Because of various factors in the soil, such as compaction and soil make up, you can water faster than your lawn can absorb it.  Products like HydraHawk can really be a benefit here. On top of using some type of surface active agent, try and water in intervals of about 10 – 15 mins, turn off the water and let it soak into the soil.  Afterward turn on the water again for another 10-15 mins so that you are achieving the goal of getting the water down to about 6 to 8 inches deep.
• Consider morning irrigation.   The early morning is the ideal time to water your turf because the weather is usually cooler, there is less wind and the humidity is higher hence the water is less likely to evaporate.  However, early morning does not mean midnight.  Wet grass at night can be a recipe for a disease disaster.
• Monitor irrigation water amounts in summer.   Try to irrigate only one or two inches of water per week during the growing season.  You could irrigate the whole amount of water at one time, however most folks have better results splitting the amount into two separate applications.  Please note however in sandy soils where the water percolates more rapidly it may benefit you to split the applications into three separate irrigation cycles.  You do not want to irrigate more than three times a week because you would be applying so little water the outcome would be shallow roots.
• Observe your lawn. This is pretty simple really.  Watch your lawn.  It will tell you when it is wanting water.  If the grass does not dry out between watering, stretch the intervals between waterings.  If it seems like the water is not getting deep enough into the soil profile just apply a little more water each watering, but do water less often.  Now if the lawn looks healthy and everything seems fine, try cutting back and conserving water.  You can always make adjustments as you go.

Want even more tips on Efficient Watering for Landscaping? Check out this article on Home Landscape Watering by RE/MAX.

WEEDS! WEEDS! WEEDS! Have you caught yourself screaming these words?

An older fella that had literally decades under his belt in the landscaping industry said once, “MULCH, MULCH, MULCH! That is the secret to good gardening.”  Sound simple? Well, it is really.

Mulch is basically any material organic or not that is placed over a surface of the soil to conserve moisture, kill weed seedlings, moderate the temperature and make the garden or landscape more attractive.  You could say it does all of that at the same time.  In the old days mulch was meant to be natural, organic materials such as leaves, bark, wood chips, sand or stone.  Well times have changed. Now there are literally dozens upon dozen of options to include plastic films to woven or non-woven geo-fabrics.

For the most part there is a common goal in mulching and that is reduce the time and hassle of weeding. Here we have listed some common materials both inorganic or seed-free organic mulches:

• Wood Chips: Find a local arborist in your area.  Usually they are glad to rid themselves of horticultural waste.  Or the best option is to find composted wood chips from a local soil or amendment supplier.  Usually sold by the yard or truck load.
• Newspaper: Newspaper can be used either shredded or laid flat.  It is great for water retention. Make sure to wet it so that it does not blow away.  Apply a thin layer of weed free attractive mulch on top of it.
• Pine Straw: Pine straw is esthetically pleasing to the eye.  It is best used for acid loving plants.
• Shredded Bark: Use this type of mulch around trees and other noticeable areas as this type of mulch is quite attractive.
• Grass Clippings: Grass clippings can be used making sure that the clippings come from a weed and pesticide free lawn.
• Leaves: Leaves are good choice if the leaves are shredded or composted.

Inorganic mulch like that of gravel, landscape fabric, sand and stone are other options and do hold in moisture, however it should be noted that these options do not add fertility to the soil.  It is best to use this type of mulch around perennials, shrubs or trees that are naturally occurring and do not require additional fertilizer.

You can get the most out of your gardening pleasure by using fertile organic mulch.  By doing so you can control weeds and provide a small amounts of nutrients to the soil. All organic composted mulches made from plant material fall into this category. Some mulches will decompose faster than others depending on the make up of the mulch. The mulches that quickly decompose are useful in annual flower and vegetable beds.  When rain or irrigation water comes into contact with this type of decomposing mulch, the nutrients leach into the soil to be taken up by the plant.

There are other organic mulches that are more slow release or slow to decompose and provide few nutrients.  These types are usually dry and woody and are usually low in nitrogen. These are typically the bark type mulches.  The bark type mulches are for the most part resistant to rotting. Usually is best to use these around trees or paths.  Fresh wood chips can make excellent mulch, however it is suggested that an external source of nitrogen be used.

Here is a list of other mulch sources:

• rice hulls
• cocoa shells
• cardboard
• sugar cane refuse
• ground corncobs
• peanut shells
• saw dust
• hops
• Peat
• straw
• gravel
• recycled rubber tires