Nutrient Master Class for Turf Managers and Greenskeepers

1. GCSAA Nutrient
Master Class:
Turf and Lawn

2. Agenda
• Challenges for effective fertilization
• Idea #1: Choose a better iron source
• Idea #2: Give your grass seed a better start
• Idea #3: Don’t overlook other important
nutrients
• New product coming soon…

3. Introduction
Better fertilization practices pay big dividends to
turf managers and golf course superintendents

4. Introduction
• Benefit from greener grass that requires less
mowing
• Avoid challenges of excess nitrogen
• Learn about products that offer quick uptake,
and greening that lasts longer
• Solve management and production challenges
with better nutrition

5. Wolf Trax Innovative Nutrients
• Plant Nutrition Specialists
• Selling innovative nutrients since 2002
• Sales in 90 regulatory jurisdictions
worldwide
• Developed DDP Products
(Dry Dispersible Powder)
• DDP product lineup includes Zinc DDP,
Boron DDP, Manganese DDP,
Magnesium DDP, Copper DDP, Iron DDP
and Calcium DDP
• Over 20 million acres of DDP applied

6. Wolf Trax Innovative Nutrients
• Innovations that Deliver Nutrition
• Extensive Testing and Evaluation
• High Quality Fertilizer
• Guaranteed

7. Wolf Trax Innovative Nutrients
DDP EvenCoat™ Technology
• Patented coating technology is a more efficient
application option
• Coats onto granular fertilizer prills for even
distribution of micronutrients
• Uses lower application rates with better uptake

8. Wolf Trax Innovative Nutrients
Iron DDP featuring PlantActiv™ formulation
ensures better plant availability and better uptake
• Particle size is optimal for plant uptake
• Nutrients are formulated to resists soil tie-up, more
readily available to the plant
• Less iron is lost to the environment

9. Idea #1: Choose a
Better Iron Source

10. Role and benefits of iron for grass
• Iron is commonly used as part of turf nutrition
packages for its benefits as a greening agent
• Granular prills are the
typical formulation
used for application

11. Challenges for effective fertilization
Poor distribution - uneven
fertilization
• Distribution of typical
granular applications can
cause unevenness in
appearance of turf and grass
• Mobility of micronutrients in
soil is limited, meaning some
roots get less nutrients than
others

12. Approaches to fertilizing for greener grass
1) Traditional approach - boosting nitrogen
• Increases growth
• Leads to more mowing
• Increases water usage, turf is more
susceptible to disease
2) New approach - using Iron DDP as a
fertilizer coating
• Provides green-up without increasing growth
• Requires less mowing
• Does not increase water usage

13. Solutions for turf
• Iron DDP offers more even distribution
Thoroughly and evenly coats onto granular fertilizer prills,
delivering the right amount of micronutrients at many points
of contact
Interception points with
Wolf Trax Iron DDP
Interception points with
iron granular
micronutrients

14. Solutions for turf
• More even iron distribution with Iron DDP
means:
• Greater nutrient availability
• Improved above-ground grass color-up
• Improved below-ground root growth and disease prevention

15. Get quicker, longer-lasting green
• Dual Action Availability with Iron DDP
• Multiple forms of active iron guarantees earlier
uptake and continuous feeding over time
• Ensures that turf & grass is greener for longer, less
need to apply other fertilizers later in the season

16. Get quicker, longer-lasting green
Dual Action Availability
and 2010 Efficacy Trials
• Established stands of turfgrass
were fertilized with Wolf Trax
Iron DDP and granular iron
• Chlorophyll content was
measured using a SPAD meter
and shows that stands treated
with Wolf Trax Iron DDP were
“greener” than the granular iron
121
105
95
100
105
110
115
120
125
Wolf Trax Fe DDP Fe oxide
SPADMeterIndex(relativechlorophyllcontent)
Chlorophyll reading
Granular iron

17. Get quicker, longer-lasting green
Dual Action Availability
and 2010 Efficacy Trials
• Turfgrass chlorophyll content
was measured at 4 different
intervals to determine
differences in “greenness”
• Wolf Trax Iron DDP coated onto
NPK fertilizer resulted in
greener sod compared to the
NPK fertilizer alone, especially
at the later dates

18. Make grass greener
• 2010 efficacy trials on turf showed greater plant
uptake of iron and greener grass
• SPAD readings were taken to determine the
difference in “green colour” quantitatively

19. Make grass greener
Iron DDP treated grass was 6% greener
This was visual to the naked eye.

20. Deliver Better Uptake
Wolf Trax Iron DDP was compared to granular iron
on grass:
• 50% iron oxide was applied at 1.5 lb/1000 ft2 physical
product
• Iron DDP applied at 0.4 lb/1000 ft2 physical product
• Grass was harvested three weeks after treatment, and
tissues analyzed for total iron content
• Iron DDP coated on lawn fertilizer showed iron uptake of
109% of check

21. Deliver Better Uptake
Despite being applied at a fraction of the rate, the highest concentration
of iron was found in the grass plants treated with Iron DDP

22. Iron and staining risks
Iron fertilization products tend to stain cement
• Wolf Trax compared the following to evaluate
staining:
(A) Iron DDP coated onto granular prills (1% coating)
(B) Granular fertilizer alone
(C) Granular fertilizer blended with iron sulphate

23. Iron and staining risks
• Blends were applied to a cement sidewalk, in
1m X 1m blocks adjacent to an urban lawn
• The iron treatment was left on the cement for
varying lengths of time and then washed off
with water
• Discolouration was rated on a 0 to 3 rating scale
where 0=no staining, 3=severe staining

24. Iron and staining risks
UTC
UTC
Iron DDP
Iron DDP
FeSO4
FeSO4
Treatment Staining
Iron DDP 0.5
UTC 0.0
Fe SO4 3.0
Results:

25. Idea #2: Give your
grass seed a
better start

26. Idea #2 : Give your grass seed a
better start.
• Golf courses and turf plots often need to be
reseeded to bring area back to optimal
appearance and utility
• Can be a lengthy process
before seeded and reseeded
areas are in desired
condition

27. Idea #2 : Give your grass seed a
better start.
• Seed treatments give grass seedlings the power
to grow more quickly
• PROTINUS Seed Nutrition safely delivers
key nutrients, vital to early seedling and
plant growth

29. PROTINUS Seed Nutrition
Early, more even emergence
Kentucky Bluegrass with PROTINUS vs. Control

30. PROTINUS Seed Nutrition
Larger seedlings + enhanced root growth
• Greater ability to compete with weeds for
water and nutrients
• Reseeding required less often
• Water sources are allocated appropriately

31. PROTINUS performance
Turf grass seed, Payson, UT
“The PROTINUS-treated turf seed emerged several days earlier
than the check… The treated is taller and thicker than the
untreated; it also has a more developed root system.”
- Todd Tolbert (IFA), Spanish Fork, UT

32. PROTINUS performance
On cold, wet soils in northern Alberta, Canada…

33. PROTINUS performance
On cold, wet soils in northern Alberta, Canada…

34. PROTINUS performance
6-12-13
On hot, dry soils in California….

35. PROTINUS Seed Nutrition
Larger seedlings + enhanced root growth

36. Idea #3: Don’t
overlook other
important nutrients

37. Zinc DDP
Zinc is essential for:
• the growth, development
and reproduction of plants
Features:
DDP EvenCoat Technology
PlantActiv Formulation
Dual Action Availability

38. Manganese DDP
Manganese is essential for:
• photosynthesis
• activating important enzymes
Features of Mn DDP:
Dual Action Availability
PlantActiv Formulation
DDP EvenCoat Technology
FlexUse Application
Manganese DDP includes multiple forms
of active manganese for immediate
availability and uptake, as well as
continuous feeding over time.

39. Boron DDP
Boron is essential for:
• proper cell wall formation
• bonding molecules
• pollination and seed
production
Features of Boron DDP:
DDP EvenCoat Technology
PlantActiv Formulation
Dual Action Availability
FlexUse Application
Boron DDP delivers this important micronutrient to the plant in a
way that is more effective, and is formulated to safely deliver
1-2 ppm boron throughout the growing season.

40. One more tip...
• Purchase a guaranteed, scientifically proven
product
• All DDP Nutrients are covered by the Growing
Forward® Guarantee
• Guaranteed to correct deficiency
Wolf Trax is the only nutrient supplier
to guarantee performance!

41. Summary
• Choose a better source of iron that ensures:
• grass is greener for longer
• better uptake so you get more of what you pay for
• less staining
• Give your grass seeds a strong start with
PROTINUS Seed Nutrition
• Don’t overlook other nutrients in your nutrient packages
• Purchase a guaranteed product
…Growing Forward Guarantee