Click here for PDF file of Geoponics Corporation’s new multimedia director

Media Release
Geoponics Corporation
3425 Radio Rd. # 202
Naples, FL 34104
(877)667-6330
Geoponicscorp.com
Facebook.com/Geoponics
Geoponics.TV
 
For Immediate Release
November 7, 2011
Contact: Kelly Farrell
Phone: (239)250-0990
Email: kfarrell@geoponicscorp.com
PRmediadirector

Environmentally-friendly golf course, lawn care products firm adds multimedia director
NAPLES, FL, November 7, 2011:

Geoponics Corporation added a multimedia director, Kelly Farrell, to their firm based in Naples, FL this week.
She will be sharing stories from golf course superintendents, lawn care operators, green municipalities, future-minded businesses, environmentally conscious retail consumers, as well as  turf, landscape and lake management industry professionals about how Geoponics Corporation’s environmentally-friendly products and services, which are sold worldwide, are helping them reach their goals.
Kelly Farrell began a career in journalism 15 years ago and most recently worked at the Naples Daily News. Her background in public relations, writing and photography, offers her the ability to create quality, engaging content to help people learn how to get the results they are looking for with the best possible impact on the environment.

Keep updated: 
geoponicscorp.com, facebook.com/Geoponics , Geoponics.TV

*****************************End********************************

 

Here is a quick overview of some of the Geoponics Products for Turf and Soils.  Download information below.

Download Geoponics Product Information Sheet Here

Soil Redox Potential
By Lee Berndt Ph.D., CPAg, CCA-FL

Two things make great turf: genes and the environment.  From my perspective the job of a turf manager is to manipulate the turf environment to allow turfgrasses to express their traits to the best of their genetic potential.  Most people know this means, for example, aerifying with the proper tine at the right depth at the right time.  Consider that core aerifying changes the turf environment because it relieves soil compaction and allows air to enter into the soil, releases CO₂, and thus stimulates root development.  Coring also removes surface organic matter.  Most would agree that these are positive outcomes.  But core aerifying can also soften turf surfaces, something most superintendents don’t typically strive to do.  And it can be disruptive to golfers both physically and mentally.  It’s what I call a member unfriendly cultural practice.  The point is cultural practices have consequences, both good and bad.  And sometimes employing management strategies for their perceived positive impacts can hinder management objectives.

As an example, consider that certain nutrients are less available in soils having a high pH.  Lowering pH to a more favorable point makes these nutrients more available.  Applying elemental sulfur is a cultural practice that has been recommended for years for this purpose, and is frequently done.  Sulfur (S) lowers the pH of soil solution by reacting with available oxygen (O₂) to produce acidity (H⁺) per the following reaction:

S  +  O₂ +  H₂O  ? SO₄^2? +  H⁺

However, one consequence of applying sulfur to lower pH is depletion of soil oxygen, reducing the amount available for the respiration of plant roots and microbes.  This is because oxygen bonds to sulfur in a chemical reaction to produce the acid.  Reduced levels of oxygen can then have an impact, for example, on nutrient uptake because ion transport across root membranes is directly related to root respiration rate which is in turn directly related to oxygen concentration.  That sulfur can deplete soil oxygen is illustrated in Figure 1.  As sulfur is increased from zero to three pounds per 1,000 sf the pH of the soil is reduced from 7 to 4.5.  But note how soil redox potential is also reduced.  Redox potential is one way aeration status (aka oxygen content) can be measured.  Low values indicate lack of oxygen hence anaerobic conditions.

And because sulfur can lower redox potential it can also initiate development of the dreaded black layer.  Figure 2 shows redox potential is low in anaerobic soil having low levels of sulfur yet little sulfide (aka black layer) is produced.  Adding sulfur depresses redox potential and increases the level of sulfides.  Note that applying nitrate fertilizer with the sulfur keeps redox potential high and keeps the level of sulfides low.  This occurs because nitrate is an oxidizer; it increases redox potential.  In other words the addition of nitrate has the same general effect as adding oxygen.

Fertilizing with natural organic sources of N such as Milorganite or ammonia-based N carriers can also deplete soil oxygen and reduce redox potential.  This is because a process called nitrification takes place.  This is analogous to the sulfur reaction.  Nitrification is the conversion of ammonium (NH₄⁺) into nitrate (NO₃^?), just like sulfur (S) is converted into sulfate (SO₄^2?):

NH₄⁺ + O₂ ?  NO₃^? +  H⁺

Note that, as with the sulfur reaction, oxygen bonds to nitrogen.  As a result the level of oxygen is reduced.  It becomes tied up with creation of a new molecule.  This is called an oxidation reaction.  Incidentally, both processes contribute to lowing soil pH; these oxidation processes release H⁺ ions (aka acidity) directly to the environment.

Are there other oxidation-reaction related cultural practices being used?  The answer is yes.  Some turf managers have applied sugars like molasses to turf to stimulate microbial activity.  The sugars are oxidized by the microbial communities via respiration, which consumes oxygen.

C₆H₁₂O₆ + O₂ ?  CO₂ +  H₂O

And as the populations feed on the sugar they grow in size using more and more oxygen.

Does all of this mean that sulfur, ammonium fertilizers, and sugars should not be used?  No.  Manipulating pH of soil with sulfur and fertilizing it with materials like ammonium sulfate can be positive practices in the right circumstances.  Stimulating microbial activities can also be positive.  But be aware that if the soil tends to have a low redox potential to begin with then such practices would be contra indicated.

Keep in mind that organic matter is always oxidizing in soil consuming oxygen when it is available.  Soil can become more anaerobic and attain a lower redox potential when it gets saturated with water during prolonged rain events.  This is because water greatly restricts the rate of oxygen diffusion into soil.  And if soil then becomes compacted there is less air-filled pore space, which means a grater percentage of the pore space contains water further restricting the rate of oxygen diffusion.  And then if sulfur, ammonium, or sugar is applied the redox potential falls ever further and boom, the black layer happens, or maybe something even worse.  This is why avoiding the application of sulfur and fertilizing with nitrate-based N carriers, which increase redox potential, is a BMP for managing anaerobic soils and the black layer.

The redox potential of the soil is a highly important component of the turf environment that managers influence through their cultural regime every day whether they know it or not.  It’s a prime determinant of turfgrass health and quality, and something turf managers need to learn more about.  Having a better understanding of how each cultural practice can influence the various components of the turf environment can result in a better chance of successfully fulfilling management objectives.

SEE HOW YOU CAN INCREASE THE REDOX POTENTIAL OF YOUR SOIL

Agriox is a soil oxygen product which is time released, boasting valuable nutrients that promote overall soil health and remarkable productivity in an environmentally friendly way. Working with the solubility of oxygen, Agriox’s release of oxygen is based on ph of a soil (water) and soil temperature.

Agriox’s soil oxygen process is essential to plant roots for water and nutrient absorption during photosynthesis. During this stage plants are metabolizing macro and micronutrients, as well as enzymes, hormones, organic acids, and other beneficial components that fuel growth. Plant friendly microbes require a constant supply of oxygen in order to survive. Without a good supply of oxygen, anaerobic microbes explode in population, thus leading to a host of problems including nutrient deficiencies and root disease secondary to the release of hydrogen sulfide (toxic to roots, foul odor).

Agriox is indispensable when growing high-performance turf because of its unique slow release oxygen technology. This continuous supply of oxygen is essential in plant production. More importantly, Agriox will break down more rapidly with increased temperatures and decreased pH (found in black layer and heavy organic soils), making it an ideal product for turf producers, arming them with “response aeration” when needed the most.

Coupled with its unique slow release oxygen process, Agriox increases buffering capacity, thus reducing the effects of nutrient toxicity. In heavily laden organic soils, Agriox can provide a source of oxygen and improve hydraulic conductivity, permitting more efficient movement of nutrients, water and oxygen through the soil. The Agriox treated soils show increased total microbial populations and species diversity. Increasing species diversity suggests the ability to degrade a wider range of chemical contaminants that are found in the soil profile. This in itself helps our environment…What to expect from Agriox in soils:

Agriox in SOIL A new approach

• Increased total soil microbial population
• Increased enzyme diversity
• Restoration of aerobic and biological activities at high moisture and temperature conditions
• Healthier roots secondary to enhanced symbiotic fungi growth
• Well maintained and protected healthy plant roots
• Improved hydraulic conductivity, facilitating more efficient movement of oxygen and nutrients
• Turf has the ability to absorb more water and nutrients while increasing their efficiency
• Keeps the soil ecology healthy and breathing!

 

SOIL OXYGEN with AGRIOX

Visit Agriox.com

 

Under normal environmental conditions, turf respiration enables roots to absorb soil oxygen, water and nutrients for transport to above ground planttissue. Plant roots absorb oxygen both from soil macropores and from oxygen dissolved in soil moisture. Accordingly, this oxygen has two means of introduction to the soil: mechanical aerification and water. Of the two sources, water will have less carbon dioxide and more oxygen dissolved in it, thus making it better suited to promote plant growth. Most superintendents haven’t focused on enhancing the oxygen content of soil moisture because the technology was lacking prior to the development of Agriox (Visit Agriox.com) . It is this fundamental advancement that allows our oxidizing agent to release molecular oxygen directly into the root zone, eliminating the atmospheric loss that dramatically reduced previous products’ efficacy.

 

Since oxygen diffusion through water is approximately 10,000 times more limited than through air, your greens’ ground water must contain as much dissolved oxygen (DO) as possible in the root zone as the water will seal those areas off, forming a membrane of moisture. Frequent irrigation, poor drainage, and microbial respiration in the root zone often result in a lowering of available soil oxygen as macropore and micropore spaces both are filled with water containing minimal amounts of DO. As temperatures and humidity increase, the respiration rate of the plant does as well, leading to increased oxygen use. Once the existing DO is depleted, the plant’s health declines.

 

It is critically important to consider how low soil oxygen levels affect the plant’s ability to uptake the nutrients you are providing it. Due to the biologically mediated process of denitrification (essentially the nitrogen cycle in reverse), turfgrass will use nitrates or other oxidized forms of nitrogen as the terminal electron acceptors for respiration instead of oxygen. This can even happen in a root zone that isn’t commonly considered anaerobic. As soil temperatures rise, nitrogen losses will increase as the turf’s elevated respiration triggers more denitrification and a decreased efficiency in fertilizer use.

Agriox works in conjunction with the need of the soil (the lower the pH and/or the higher the temperature, the more soluble it becomes) and helps to mitigate such limiting factors. This is an important part of the product’s value to take into account when considering adding it to your program. (You needn’t change any aspect of your routine otherwise.) The better utilization of nutrients is where you will begin to see a reduction of your overhead expenses, but the savings will continue to grow as your soil ecology becomes a less and less stressful growing environment.

 

Agriox is a slow release soil oxygen product designed to enhance the “living” nature of soil ecologies. The application of Agriox will enhance microbial populations, nutrient and water uptake and plant health for better sustainability.

 

 

The budgeting constraints daily fee courses work under do not allow any room to try unfamiliar product lines, especially when they are a premium quality label. Surprisingly, the Geoponics guys that came by the course did not give up on earning my business when I repeatedly explained this to them. As a result, we were eventually able to work out a trial on the fairy ring issues I had on some of my MiniVerde greens.

I no longer face this problem, and I attribute that to the Agriox and Penterra treatments I have been making ever since. I found it especially helpful to time aerification around my applications since it really reduces the time it takes to heal over. We are now addressing the sodium issues that come along with using brackish irrigation water with the Detox product.

Originally I had been skeptical about the affordability of the Geoponics products to the point where I hadn’t really considered their cost effectiveness. Once I saw how much of an improvement the treated areas made, I took a closer look at the cost per acre. Five months later I have adopted the complete Grizzly Pro-Turf Program and am very happy with it, especially how affordable it turned out to be.

I had been using a granular based program, but now I have the convenience of easy application, the time and labor savings of not needing to water in, as well as the benefit of a more uniform and even feed over time. I put a high value on the technical backgrounds of the sales representatives I have been dealing with; they’re good people that I enjoy working with.

 

Scott Ryan
Eagle Lakes Golf Club
Naples, FL