Clean it up with color

Colorants and dyes have lots of uses on the turf, but they can also help manage a trouble water element on the course. Joe Lara, product manager for BASF, talks about how they can clean up a pond and give it a reflective look.

How can a superintendent use aquatic dyes on the course?

There are two primary reasons to use aquatic dyes. Number one is cosmetic. Anywhere there’s any objective to improve the aesthetic look of an ornamental body of water, colorants really provide a very clean, aquatically safe tool for aquatic habitats and for a site manager to improve the look. The water sometimes can be turbid, it can look kind of dirty, or it’s got silt or sediment floating in the water which just makes it look a little unsightly. Those colorants help basically mask those types of negative effects.

The other reason is to use colorant products that are labeled for aquatic algae and weed control, if you have a body of water that’s got unsightly algae floating around, whether it’s the scummy floaty type that’s on top of the water or the pea green soup look. There are two aquatic colorants on the market today that are EPA-registered, that control nuisance aquatic algae and aquatic weeds. Once of those is Admiral from BASF and the other is Aquashade that comes from Applied Biochemists.

They are registered products, so they’re approved for applications where a site manager wants to introduce an EPA registered colorant into their system to accomplish some of those aquatic vegetation control practices during the season.

What trends are there in aquatic dye colors?

For many years, the standard color was blue, predominantly a dark blue. Depending on the background color of the water, it could either be a very bright blue or a very dark purplish kind of blue, and it served its purpose. Within probably the last 10 years, some companies have brought out a darker color, predominantly black. Today, Becker Underwood provides a high concentrate black colorant called Black Onyx to meet the changing needs or preferences for site managers to do something other than blue. What we’ve discovered is that typically, with our formula, the high concentration of black not only provides an economical way to offset discoloration of water to improve the aesthetics, the black coloration gives a very different look the body of water than a traditional blue. What you wind up with is a very reflective, or almost mirror-like look to the water, where an end user wouldn’t necessarily discern a color, but just simply see a very dark body of water. That is very appealing in certain areas or regions, where they don’t necessarily want the traditional blue. Let’s just say their preference has shifted from blues to probably a black that creates that much more reflective look to the water.

It gives a sense that the water is naturally dark. I think that’s the key, that the perception is that it’s naturally dark. The great thing about a dye is that when used in combination with other tools to manage a body of water, it is a great foundational product to start a management program at the beginning of the year. Specifically if you are looking to control nuisance weeds and algae, it’s important to get an early start to the program when the water is coming out of the cold winter.

I think just as a matter of practice with any colorant, the site manager needs to monitor the site to make sure that the color is being reintroduced at the appropriate time. Depending on the dosage, the color that you use can last anywhere from 2-4 weeks. Over time it will just break down, and to get the color back to where they want they’ll just need to reintroduce it. Always follow the manufacturer’s label.

How do dyes help manage aquatic growth?

Getting that dark colorant in there for control, the mode of action for these dyes is that it filters the UV light that is required as part of the energy system of these plants. When you have the ability to darken the water and filter out that light, you’re effectively retarding the growth of any algae or aquatic plant.

You’re preventing that light energy that the plant needs to grow or photosynthesize. It’s a nice soft tool to get a jump start on the season. When the plants start growing or they break through, you need to bring in other tools, whether it’s an algaecide or an herbicide.

What do superintendents need to know before using aquatic colorants?

I think what they need to understand is how they’re using that body of water. They also need to think of some of the limitations to dyes in certain systems. If they’re using that pond or if they’re using a significant volume of that water for irrigation, there is kind of a dilution effect. You’re pulling out the water, irrigating your turf, so there’s a volume of water left. So somewhere in the process there’s an automated fill pump which will introduce new water into that system. At that point, you’re diluting the effects of the color because you’re adding new or untreated water into the system. Let me say this as a footnote, any of these aquatic colorants that come from BASF, they have no impact or negative effect on plants. So if you’re using that water for irrigation, there’s no adverse effect you’re going to see on your plants.

The site manager needs to make sure they’re in complete control of that water. Some sites may have a flow-through. It’s important they recognize if they have any outflow in that body of water, there could be some dilution over time, or it may prohibit   maybe downstream   the use of any dyes. They have to be smart about how the water is coming in and leaving that site. My encouragement at that point is always to get a professional involved at that point who really understands the nuances of managing a water body with either flow in or out or check with your local regulatory agency who needs to be consulted as to what you can or cannot do with that body of water.