Geoponics Blog

Pinehurst hasn’t experienced such a tough, cold winter in 22 years and yet the golf course is looking better than ever for the U.S. Open and the Women’s Open. So what’s the secret?

The Pinehurst golf course is the center of attention in the golf world through June and here’s how the management and golf course superintendent got the course in such great shape:

1. Instead of overseeding the fairways with ryegrass, green paint was applied to the fairways. That turf colorant was Endurant, now available in Endurant FW (for fairways) Endurant TC (for dormant turf) and Endurant TE (with turf enhancer for actively growing grass).
2. Greens were covered while temperatures were colder than 20 degrees F.
3. Burlap covered putting surfaces and high traffic areas.

Learn more about the experiences Bob Farren, Pinehurst’s Vice President of Grounds and Golf Course Maintenance, and Kevin Robinson, golf course superintendent here.

Check out more about Endurant here and contact Turf Colorant Division Specialist Jennifer Seevers jseevers@geoponicscorp.com or Geoponics direct at 1-888-ECO-GROW, info@geoponicscorp.com for more Endurant turf colorant specifics.

We frequently have contests to win samples of Endurant turf colorant and other Geoponics products. Check us out on social media, follow, friend, join our circles!

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Managing water is one of the primary keys to healthy turf. Whether the soil is compacted, holding too much water or draining too quickly, Geoponics has the water management tools and soil surfactants that you need to conserve water, save money and get the healthiest soil and turf possible. These earth-friendly products are among the favorites for golf course superintendents and turf care professionals worldwide.

Here are three water management products, what other turf managers have said about them and how they will work for you:

Penterra: The fastest-acting soil surfactant

More than just a soil surfactant. Penterra’s benefits include:

• Increase plant nutrient uptake
• Keep soil aerobic, increasing oxygen exchange with soil profile
• Decrease surface tension between water, soil and plant
• Improve growth and activity of aerobic microorganisms
• Loosens hard clay soil
• Breaks up hard pan and crusting
• Dries out wet areas
• Reduces compaction
• Improves rooting
• Prevents erosion
• Improves drainage
• Saves water
• Easy to use
• Fastest-acting surfactant
• More benefits here

Golf Course Superintendent Jay Wade of Westham Golf Course May 2014: “Getting ready for rain. Got the Penterra out…”  The next day “Three inches of rain and no standing water. Penterra is a really great product. Thanks for your support!”

HydraHawk

HydraHawk:

• Helps water penetrate compacted or arid soils
• Aids plant life in the uptake of water
• Aids in plants’ uptake of nutrients
• Performance-enhancing wetting agent
• Protected agent
• Derived from fruit and vegetable extracts
• Helps plants survive in extreme heat, drought and soil salinity
• Natural sugars stimulate beneficial microbial activity in soil
• More benefits here.

Humawet:

• Soil penetrate and humate with added long term benefits
• Decreases surface tension
• Does not need to be watered in
• Loosens hard clay soil
• Aggregates sandy soil
• Allows water and oxygen to reach plant roots
• Can be applied during growing season
• More benefits here

Geoponics had a blast with old and new friends at the event hosted by the Everglades Golf Course Superintendents Association at Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club. The POA Annual Golf Classic and GC Horn Memorial Tournament is always fun! Here are a few photos from the weekend, May 15 through May 18, 2014:

Summertime means time to spruce up the home lawn and garden! Geoponics professional mulch colorants are now available for home users.

Keep your landscaping looking sharp at a fraction of the time and expense of adding more mulch.

Add color to horticulture waste that is otherwise gray and drab.

TAKE A LOOK: Mulchcolorant.net is ready for shopping. 

Here are a few of the benefits:

• Makes landscaping pop with color
• Takes minutes to apply and dries in minutes
• Preferred by landscape professionals
• Saves time and money
• Available in small and large quantities
• Lasts up to seven months
• 32 oz. covers up to 1,000 square feet of mulch or pinestraw
• Available in multiple colors, including black, brown, cypress red and pinestraw
• EARTH-FRIENDLY!

Shop now!

Turfgrass species are numerous and selection of the best species is one of the most important decisions to make, especially for establishing a sustainable playing surface for golf and other sports.

Selecting a grass species adapted to your area that has management requirements you can sustain affordably is important.

Here are some key factors to consider when selecting your turf type:

• Worn areas recover quickly and are traffic tolerant
• Speed of seed germination, growth and establishment
• Ability to grow at various temperatures
• Grass color for aesthetics and soil temperature
• Drought and water tolerance
• Heat and cold tolerance
• Resistance to disease
• Attraction of pests
• Likelihood of being overcome by weeds
• Salt tolerance (increasingly needed at golf courses using effluent water)

The National Turfgrass Evaluation Program collects information on 17 turfgrass species in the U.S. and Canada by conducting trials in 46 locations, collecting and disseminating information about these turfgrass species’ quality, color, density, resistance to diseases, pest resistance; heat, cold, drought and water tolerance; overall growth and tolerance to high traffic and compaction stress.

While some species are more resistant to pest and disease and some species are more tolerant of climate variations and high traffic, none are immune to any of these factors.

Other resources:

www.NTEP.org   National Turfgrass Evaluation Program for annual turfgrass ratings and understanding what they mean

www.USGA.org  U.S. Golf Association for best management practices and other resources for turf growers, golf course superintendents and managers.

Once you’ve selected your turf, Geoponics products can help to keep management costs low and quality high with products to manage compaction, sodium in the soil and other factors by getting water movement through the soil profile, as well as increasing oxygen, soil biodiversity and microbial diversity. Turf colorants also provide a USGA recommended alternative to overseed that is not only less expensive and demands less water and other resources, the colorants also increase the health of the soil and plant.

Contact us today for more information about our soil surfactants, turf colorants and other products.