Stay on target

When walking the fairways at North Shore Country Club in Glenview, Ill., golfers won’t find any unnatural blue coloring to turf that has been treated with pesticides or fertilizers. They’ll only see a natural, deep shade of green. Dan Dinelli, the club’s superintendent, achieves that appearance by using turf colorants as spray pattern indicators. He says the key lies in two major areas: the application and the color concentration.

“Spray colorants are helpful because it shows exactly what areas have been treated,” he says. “It also shows if the spray nozzle isn't working well or is clogged.”

During the application process, Dinelli uses a covered spray boom, which allows him to avoid drift while still using a fine spray with high-pressure, flat nozzles. But he recommends using colorant even if the operator is using an open boom.

“Drift is our number one concern when applying any kind of fertilizer or pesticide,” he says. “It’s important that you apply it in a way to minimize drift and to identify where the product is going. Using a pigment will help to direct the operator to hit the target and not go off course.”

When it comes to the product, Dinelli prefers those that include a pigment base, which limits the need to add additional colorants, such as Bayer StressGard. He says many superintendents favor pigment-based turf colorants over dye-based products for their longevity and nutrients.

“Lately, there’s been a fair amount of research about pigments and how they help reduce stress with plants,” he says. “Most people feel that pigment-based colorants act like a type of sun screen. Strong sun can be harmful to turf grass. With pigments, you’re getting two things. You’re getting a spray pattern indicator and plant protection. Dyes just won’t give you that, and they’ll probably only last you a day or two.”

After deciding upon a product, Dinelli says he experimented with the concentration, rate and frequency to determine which color looked best on the turf grass.

“Some colors look too artificial,” he says. “You want to avoid that chemical, blue-green color that some turfs can get. My goal is always to have the turf look more natural. Try to find that happy middle ground color, where the spray operator and golfer can still see the spray pattern, but the golfer’s eye won’t be attracted to that area of the turf.”