PLANET TURF WINTER SEMINAR TAKING THE PULSE OF TURFGRASS
PLANET TURF WINTER SEMINAR
TAKING THE PULSE OF TURFGRASS
PLANET TURF
Sales Reps Jason Otto – W. WA, OR Jim Connolly – E. WA, ID, MT, International Jared Whitaker – E. WA, ID, WY, MT
Distributors Turf Health Products, Canada Riken Green, Japan Total Green, Korea
Sales to… PNW, Asia, Guam, Malaysia, Kansas, Missouri
JIM CONNOLLY
Owner, Planet Turf since 1999 BS Agronomy WSU, 1974UCONN, environmental scienceWSU Crop ScienceUSGA agronomist, 6 yearsOwner, Planet Turf since 1999 Superintendent – Oregon, Korea, Japan
PRODUCT LINES
FOLIAR AND SOLUBLE POWDERS MADE IN PASCO
HOMOGENEOUS GREENS FERTILIZER MADE IN CALGARY BC
SOIL AND TISSUE TESTING OTELLO WA BY KUO TESTING
GRASS SEED JACKLIN SEED COMPANY
JACKLIN SEED POST FALLS IDAHO, SOON TO BE OTHELLO WA
PESTICIDES UNITED TURF ALLIANCE PESTICIDES, NUFARM, QUALIPRO, BASF, ARYSTA, MONSANTO
PLANET AIR CERES/CTI TINES EAGLE ONE
STANDARD GOLF, PAR AIDE, FOREPAR, WITTEK
TODAY’S AGENDA
Ways we try to measure and monitor factors that affect plant health
Ways to directly measure the content of plant nutrients – the blood test
Ways to measure the mineral content and make up of soil – environmental test
Laboratory ProceduresData
WHAT IS THE PULSE?
THE STATE OF HEALTHBLOOD PRESSUREFLUIDSMEASUREMENT OF HEALTHMEASUREMENT OF PRODUCT APPLICATION
EFFICIENCY
SOIL HEALTH
The Capacity of the Soil to Function – NRCSIt is like a factory full of workers with more workers
in one teaspoon of soil than people on earthGood, Healthy Soil
Organic Matter Balance composed of 2-10% Organic Matter Balanced Minerals Water entry and storage – balanced capillary and non
capillary Maximize microorganism populations – absence of disease Productive Enhances community well being
Refractometer $100 -$400
Useful? Probably Not
Used for measuring sugar in my beer
Refractive index of a glass prism to measure the refractive index of a liquid
Limited use for turf
REFRACTOMETERS
INFRARED THERMOMETER
$<40 at Harbor Freight
SPAD $2500.00 Measures
Measures green color – chlorophyll - - red
Leaf N contentWeb MappingUsed mostly by
researchers
CHLOROPHYL METER
$2790.00
Detects stress earlier than visual monitoring “Point-and-shoot” technology to instantly measure relative chlorophyll content
MOISTURE STRESS METER, NITROGEN LEVELS
$99 PHONE APP
Manage nitrogen needs
Computes the dark green color
DGCI numberFor corn now
PHONE APPS
$1100 $50
SOIL TOOLS
WHEN THINGS GO WRONG …WHAT DO WE LOOK FOR?
LOW YIELD - clippingsDISEASESLOW RECOVERY FROM DAMAGEYELLOW GRASS???? WHAT ELSE????
IF YOU ARE SEEING THESE THINGS…ITS TOO LATE
MANAGEMENT TRIANGLE
15
PHYSICAL
CHEMICAL BIOLOGICAL
aeration
Verticutting
Topdressing
Fertilizer
Pesticides
Irrigation Feed the soil
Microbes
HEALTHY SOILS
PHYSICALISTRC Non Disturbed Soil Core
All physical parameters - - how far are you from a new USGA GREEN
Infiltration Porosity Layering Extent Organic Matter
Total Bases or CECpH Organic MatterBase Saturation
Ca, Mg, K, Na, HNitrogenPhosphorusPotassium
CalciumMagnesiumBoronCopperIronZincManganeseEcNitrateAmmonium
CHEMICAL SOIL TESTS
THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION
STATEMENT OF METHODOLOGY
OBJECTIVE OF A SOIL TEST
The estimation of bioavailability of nutrients is the objective of a good soil test
- Capsules exchange anions (OH-)and cations (H+) for available forms of nutrients over a period of time.
- Conventional soil testing uses extracts to estimate nutrient availability
Bioavailability: “Those chemicals in the soil that are present in forms and amounts that plants (or other organisms) can take up during the time they are growing.”
UNIBEST International
•Example - -Iron exists in Fe+++, (ferric) •Must be changed to Fe++ (ferrous) •Reduced by a protein at the root surface
Fe++
protein
Fe+++
may jun july aug sept oct0
5
10
15
20
25
30
pH 7
pH 4.9
PHOSPHORUS SOIL TEST RESULTS AT DIFFERENT APPLI-CATION AMOUNTS AND SOIL pH
3.9 lbs P
0.4 lbs P
.2 lb
.2 lb
Jun 11- 1.2 lb
Jul 20- 1.2 lb
Aug 30 1.2 lb
may jun july aug sept oct0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
PHOSPHORUS WITH TOTAL 0.4 LBS PER YEAR
pH 7pH 7 TissueAxis Title
may jun july aug sept oct0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
PHOSPHORUS WITH TOTAL 3.9 LBS PER YEAR
pH 4.9pH 4.9 Tissue
Axis Title
4/23 5/
15/
95/
175/
25 6/26/
106/
186/
26 7/47/
127/
207/
28 8/58/
138/
218/
29 9/69/
149/
229/
3010
/8
10/1
6
10/2
411
/111
/9
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
Potassium
Application
Tissue K Response to K Applications
PotassiumApplication
Nitrate:ammonium ratio +1
4/20
/201
0
4/23
/201
0
4/26
/201
0
4/29
/201
0
5/2/
2010
5/5/
2010
5/8/
2010
5/11
/201
0
5/14
/201
0
5/17
/201
0
5/20
/201
0
5/23
/201
0
5/26
/201
0
5/29
/201
0
6/1/
2010
6/4/
2010
6/7/
2010
6/10
/201
0
6/13
/201
0
6/16
/201
0
6/19
/201
0
6/22
/201
0
6/25
/201
0
6/28
/201
00.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
2011 K 2010 K
POTASSIUM TISSUE CONTENT
SOIL NITRATE TO AMMONIUM RATIO
5/25/
246/
15 7/77/
298/
209/
1110
/3
10/2
5
11/1
612
/8
12/3
01/
212/
12 3/63/
284/
195/
11 6/26/
247/
16 8/78/
299/
200.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
1.40
1.60
Nitrate:Ammonium ratio
spring summer fall
0.00
0.10
0.20
0.30
0.40
0.50
0.60
0.70
0.18
0.19
0.20
0.21
0.22
0.23
0.24
0.25
0.26
Seasonal Calcium and Magnesium
Calcium
Magnesium
Perc
ent
Leaf
Tis
sue C
onte
nt
PLANT GROWTH HABIT VS. UPTAKE
TARGET RANGES FOR TISSUE
N % 3.8-5.3P % .34-.54K % 1.49-2.5S % .34-.54Ca % .35-.63Mg % .18-.27B ppm 11-21Zn ppm 50-88Mn ppm 68-150Cu ppm 12-32Fe ppm 250-750Na ppm .04-.08
TARGET RANGES FOR SOIL
Total BasesSoil Test Most Recent
ResultOptimal Range #4 Champ Green
4/18 5.99
N03/NH4 ratio 1:2.1 3:1 pH
N03-N (ppm) 6.00 10-15 7.3
NH4-N (ppm) 12.75 3.3-5 excessOM
P (ppm) 36 22-30 2.46
K (ppm) 215 114-140 highSS
S (ppm) 17 14-20 0.35
Ca (ppm) 940 694-948
sufficient
Ca%TB
Mg (ppm) 85 80-103 78.5
B (ppm) 0.44 .3-.5 Mg%TB
Zn (ppm) 5.6 3.4-7.9 11.7
Mn (ppm) 17 10-20 lowK%TB
Cu (ppm) 2.0 1.0-3.0 9.2
Fe (ppm) 27 20-80
deficient
Na%TB
Na (ppm) 9.2 10-17 0.7
N03
NH4
P
K
S
Ca
Mg
B
Zn
MnCu
Fe
Na
How do IERC’s Measure Nutrients
UNIBEST International
Soil ParticleK+
K+
K+
H+K+
K+
Resin Capsule
DiffusionK+
H+
Mass Flow
OH-
NO3-
H2ONO3
-
Al
Cu
Fe
S
Ca
K
NO3-N
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 Deficient Low Optimal High Excess
Turfgrass ReportCustomer: Chang Gung Golf ClubDate of Sample: 3-26-12City: State: Bar Code #: 2006064 Sample ID:
Date pH N03-N NH4-N Al B Ca Cu Fe K Mg Mn Na P S Zn Nutrient 3/26/2012 0.17 2.24 0.303 0.003 47.22 0.007 1.74 8.45
6.26 2.05 3.56 2.58 7.21 0.008 ppm ppm
5.5-7.0 .5-2 4-8 1-8 .02-.05 90-130 .01-.05 3-6 35-50 15-30 3-8 8-15 10-15 8-15 .02-.05 Optimal Range
This green is low in almost every nutrient, and shows a need for frequent applications, every week, of each low nutrient. Low amounts each time – do not apply high rates.