Q&A conditioning your turf for peak performance

Q: Everyone talks about plant health, so then what is Plant Fitness®?

Everyone in the turfgrass management space has been focused on plant health for years: Proper fertility, adequate irrigation, turf protection and cultural practices are the main pathways to plant health. But what if health isn’t the ceiling—it’s just the foundation? A healthy plant is still vulnerable to stress. Peak performance requires more than just sustenance—it requires training. That’s where Plant Fitness comes in. Instead of reacting to stress, your turf is trained to thrive under pressure. Our products, CrossTrainer™ and Strength™, improve natural defense pathways and optimize energy production, improving stress tolerance, photosynthetic efficiency, and nutrient utilization. Every application builds upon the last, conditioning turf like an athlete preparing for peak performance. The result? Turf that doesn’t just survive—it thrives under pressure. Would you rather manage a healthy plant… or a high-performing one?

Q: What makes Plant Fitness different from traditional turf inputs?

Traditional plant health products—fertilizers, biostimulants, and soil amendments—are common tools. You use them every day to correct deficiencies and support plant growth. But what if we could take this a step further? What if we conditioned turf to be more efficient and resilient, rather than just supplementing what it lacks? Turf can be fed… but it can also be trained. Unlike traditional fertilizers that provide a temporary boost, Plant Fitness strengthens turf’s internal systems over time. Every application builds on the last, increasing stress tolerance, photosynthetic efficiency, and root density. Just like an athlete’s body adapts to training, turf treated with Plant Fitness learns to optimize water, nutrients, and energy production. The result? Less reliance on reactive treatments and stronger, fitter plants season after season. Think about it, a well-conditioned athlete outperforms someone who is simply ‘healthy.’ Shouldn’t your turf do the same?

Q: Can Plant Fitness be integrated into existing turf programs?

Yes, most people have a turf program they are satisfied with. You’ve carefully selected fertilizers, PGRs, and fungicides to get the best results. So, what if there was a way to make your turf’s performance even better? Plant Fitness products aren’t replacements—they’re performance enhancers. They work within your existing program to condition your turf to operate at the highest level. CrossTrainer™ and Strength™ are fully compatible with fertilizers, PGRs, and fungicides. They amplify nutrient utilization, protect critical operations like photosynthesis, and improve soil-microbial interactions. This means your turf becomes more effective, especially during intense stress. You’re already investing in plant health. Why not get the most out of it?

Q: What kind of results can superintendents expect when they turn healthy plants into fit plants?

You know what healthy turf looks like—nice color, consistent growth, and decent roots. But what if your turf could recover faster, withstand more stress, and require fewer reactive treatments? Health ensures survival. Fitness ensures performance. When turf is conditioned to perform at its peak, it tolerates heat and drought better, recovers from stress faster, and maintains consistent playability—even under extreme conditions. Superintendents using Plant Fitness have seen a more fibrous root system, improved drought tolerance, and a reduced need for fungicides and water. The longer the training system is in place, the stronger the plant and the more resilient the turf becomes. Imagine a playing surface that isn’t just healthy—but trained to deliver peak performance every day.

Q: What’s the science behind Plant Fitness, and why does it outperform traditional plant health strategies?

You’ve spent years mastering plant health—how nutrients fuel growth, how soil biology impacts turf, and how stress weakens plants. With Plant Fitness you go beyond sustaining plants and actually optimize how they function. Traditional plant health is about providing what turf needs. Plant Fitness is about training turf to function more efficiently and perform at the highest level. Our research-backed formulas activate natural defense pathways, enhance enzyme activity, and improve soil-plant interaction. PowerSaccharides™, BioFunctional acids™, and polymeric stabilizers increase photosynthetic efficiency, optimize water use and reinforce the plant’s framework. The result? Turf that is stronger, more stress-resistant, and primed for peak performance. You already know how to keep turf healthy. Now, let’s make it FIT!

CrossTrainer, Strength, PowerSaccharides, and BioFunctional Acids are trademarks and Plant Fitness is a registered trademark of Epoch Science, LLC.