Life is all about balance, but for the greens team at Sweden’s Sankt Jörgen Park, achieving the balance of nitrogen in the greens profile became critical as the club battled extensive annual outbreaks of Snow Mold (Fusarium Patch).
Helping them lower the nitrogen content without detriment to plant health or play quality is 6-2-4 Turf Revival from Suståne which, after just three years, has significantly reduced the severity of the fungal disease.
Part of a wider resort and business park, the unique Sankt Jörgen course blends testing parkland and classic heathland holes – all under the stewardship of Head Greenkeeper Andreas Flodman, three full time greenkeepers and a team of summer and seasonal helpers.
“In recent years we started noticing that the warmer, wetter winters were contributing to issues with Snow Mold which meant that we were not in good condition going into spring,” Andreas explains. “I spoke to our distributor, Crophealth, which identified with soil samples that we had high levels of nitrogen in the ground over winter which is not ideal when disease pressure is high and plant growth is low.”
Crophealth suggested the club look at the more gradual nutrient release of the Naturel base Suståne range – a product Andreas used previously and was pleased to be re-introduced to. “I think previously the cost of pursuing an organic strategy was too high however, now, it’s on par with synthetic products we’ve used previously and obviously brings with it many benefits from a plant health and sustainability point of view.”
Andreas has been conducting two to four applications of Suståne 6-2-4 Turf Revival per season for the last three seasons, together with supplementary applications of Suståne 5-2-4+Fe all-purpose fertiliser for an additional boost in the early autumn when required.
Suståne Turf Revival 6-2-4 is designed to replenish the soil with a rich supply of humus and mycorrhizal fungi, to improve the uptake of nutrients and boost overall plant health without causing a spike in growth.
“It provides a reliable and consistent source of nitrogen and other nutrients, without excess growth or creating issues with thatch and organic matter,” says Andreas. “This means our greens look healthy and play true as we’re not having to cut them as frequently to retain the same quality. Every winter we are seeing less disease and we hope that soon we’ll be able to get through to spring without any disease impact at all.”