Stomping out algae

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is supplemental editorial content to the July Water Issue.

Superintendents have tried their luck with a number of products aimed to treat algae on turfgrass, some with more success than others.

The Syngenta fungicide Daconil serves as the industry standard used to preventatively and curatively treat algae on turfgrass, says Dr. Lane Tredway, technical representative at Syngenta Crop Protection. “When we apply Daconil to turf on a regular basis, we can certainly see improved turf quality and better recovery from practices like aerification and verticutting,” he says. “I think at least part of that is because we are suppressing that algal growth.”

Crew members at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay in Harrison, Tenn., have applied Daconil (chlorothalonil) at a five ounce per thousand square foot rate; Spotrete (thiram), a Cleary fungicide used at the same rate; and Fore (mancozeb), a Dow AgroSciences fungicide used at an eight ounce per thousand square foot rate, says superintendent Paul Carter.

All of those products can prove effective, but at The Bear Trace they had to be paired with proper drainage techniques. “We had such a bad infestation and the water wasn’t draining anywhere, so we would knock it back, but we weren’t knocking it out,” Carter says.

At another Southern course, Palmer Legends in The Villages, Fla., neither chlorothalonil nor mancozeb showed significant results, says superintendent Travis Anderson.

For treating algae and fungus on turfgrass, SePRO sells Junction (mancozeb) and CuPRO 5000 (copper hydroxide), says West Bishop, algae scientist and water quality research manager at SePRO.

Junction sprayed at a four ounce per thousand square foot rate helped alleviate some algae issues at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Ga., says superintendent Ralph Kepple. However, it is important superintendents watch how much they spray because of the copper, he says.

Patrick Williams is a GCI editorial contributor.

MAIN IMAGE: Lane Tredway