When it comes to PGRs I’m very aggressive with greens. I spray once a week. I usually start in early April at a low rate and I incorporate Phoenix Environmental Care Goldwing with the (Bayer) Proxy and (Syngenta) Primo Maxx tank mix program to suppress the Poa seed heads. I’ll do that at about a two- to three-week interval. I usually start out with low rates and increase them. I’ll go from a rate of 0.135 ounces per 1,000 square feet to start out then go to 0.14 then 0.15 ounces per 1,000 square feet.
When I aerify in the spring and fall we’ll stop the PGRs a week before hand. I feel this helps with the rapid recovery of the soil. I’ll go two weeks twice a year without any PGRs and then I’ll pick up again once the holes heal over. I started doing this two years ago and it’s helped tremendously to increase the recovery time. When I was hitting the PGRs heavy, in my opinion, it was taking two to three weeks depending on the weather, for the turf to recover after an aerification. Buy stopping the PGRs I cut that time in half to a week to 10 days to get almost full recovery. What helps is that when I stop I get that flush of growth, which helps in the recovery, then I pick up again once the holes heal over which helps with the lateral growth. It may just be me, but I really think this helps. The need for speed I’d say that PGRs provide two benefits, to the course’s health and the speed of the greens. When I started going weekly three years ago, the ability to control the speed of the greens was tremendous. I used to go every two weeks at higher rates and it seemed that toward the end of the cycle the greens would slow down. Increasing the rate to weekly, I’ve noticed the speed of the green to remain a consistent 10, 10.5, 11 that the members desire. And I feel like I have more control over the green speeds and it’s not a big issue for me anymore. Drawbacks You have to be regimented to going out weekly. Last year was challenging to get these sprays out on a seven-day interval because you can’t apply them when it’s raining and the grass is growing out of control. You have to be disciplined in keeping to a schedule. I don’t have issues with discoloration from using PGRs. I try to incorporate iron ore or some nitrogen source in with my sprays. Even during the hot times of the summer we haven’t seemed to have an issue with discoloration. Purchasing I’ve been using PGRs every year for my five years as superintendent at the course. I’d say I spend close to about $8,000 to $10,000 annually on PGRs, and the difference has to do with that season’s weather conditions. I purchase from a distributor and at the beginning of the season. I believe in the early order. Luckily, I have distributors who will work with me on delivery and payment, but I like to order these things up front. I believe in having an organized program for the season. I’d say that 90 percent of my product is bought early in the season, around late February, with a little flexibility to purchase more, if needed, during the season. In the warmer times of the year I’ll level out at a certain rate and stay there for a month or so and then increase from there until October, but it all depends on the weather. But typically I start to quit the PGR program in mid-October because that’s when the weather starts to get cooler around here. I have a spray sheet that I fill out and we have a spray guy here who has been doing this for at least 20 years. I also have an assistant who has been spraying for several years. These guys are responsible for applying the PGRs. I can in a pinch, but I don’t because I’m busy elsewhere. As far as training goes, my spray guy is a seasoned veteran. I go over the sheets with him and talk about what the product is and why we’re doing it. I’m blessed that I don’t have to give him much direction, but I do explain what type of products will be going into the tank.
PGRs and aerification
hroughout his entire career Ben Ulevich has considered plant growth regulators (PGRs) a vital tool to routine course maintenance. PGRs influence plant growth and development by affecting one or more plant hormones that play a role in cell elongation, cell division or ethylene production.
"Without PGRs my job would be very difficult," says the superintendent of Outdoor Country Club in York, Pa. "I know there are ways around it, but I believe 100 percent that, with the demand from players to have lightning-fast greens, PGRs are essential to meet player expectations. While it might not be impossible, it would definitely be extremely challenging."
Outdoor Country Club is an 18-hole private club with a two-tee driving range and a chipping facility with a putting green. The course’s greens are a Poa-bentgrass mix and the fairways and tees are bentgrass. Ulevich manages a seasonal crew of 20 with annual maintenance budget of between $750,000 and $800,000.
Here’s Ulevich’s take on using PGRs.
Explore the February 2010 Issue
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