soil & turf ECOLOGY
Unless you think holistically, you’ll always be playing catch-up
. Soil & Turf Ecology
Soils are normally pretty durable and are often ‘chock full’ of living organisms that work with turf roots to cycle nutrients from organic matter and mineral soil fractions. However, in modern turf systems, we use free draining sands to grow our turf and that is a different story. A planned and disciplined approach to keeping healthy biology in sandy soils, is where our agronomy experts come into their own.
We understand the living part of the soil, what makes it thrive and what can kill soil biology without you knowing. We can help you measure soil biology population density and diversity. What’s more, our patented products can then be programmed to enhance it. Once we balance that, you can deliver ‘Better Turf Surfaces with Less Environmental Impact’.
. It all starts with soil
The soil in which you grow turf is the base that underpins surface performance, turf health and ultimately the sustainability of a playing surface over time. We consider all aspects of physical structure, nutrient content, biology and the influence irrigation water has on your soils, and then make scientific based tailored recommendations for proactive planning and programming. Our full suite of soil analytics will assist you to manage this important resource.
. Physical soil structure
Soils are mixtures of air, water, nutrients and microbes that are all important to healthy plant growth. The physical properties of the soil is critical to turf health and links directly to management practices such as aeration, decompaction and soil structure improvements.
We partner with accredited analytical testing laboratories to deliver and share results via our online platform myResults. All aspects of physical analytics are available to suit your needs, so please speak to your Living Turf Technical Sales Representative about testing options.
. Soil nutrient chemistry
Understanding the nutrient chemistry of your soils is not only about knowing the ppm values. Interpretation of these values in the context of your unique situation is the critical step to planning and budgeting nutritional inputs to sustain and continually deliver high standard surfaces. At Living Turf we believe that modern, defendable, science based interpretation methodology such as MLSN (Minimum Levels of Sustainable Nutrition) has a major role to play in refining your inputs. Our philosophy is “ONE” – Optimal Nutrient Efficiency – delivering quality turf in partnership with you.
Using the online platform, myResults, our agronomists can plan nutrient needs and inputs with you, to develop nutrition strategies and ensure this input works in unison with soil health, water quality and turf health aspirations.
. Soil biology
Soil microbes are now widely recognised for their critical role in nutrient and carbon cycling, influence on soil structure and water retention as well as antagonists to many pathogenic fungi and insect pests. Bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi play various roles in the plant/soil relationship and understanding the microbial populations in your soils is critical to ensure optimal interactions of the soil/plant/nutrient/pathogen matrix.
Trusted soil microbe population identification underpin our ability to report on and recommend timely treatment and prevention strategies around keeping your surfaces in peak playing condition year-round. myResults, our online platform, seamlessly links with analytic labs and our technical support team to deliver accurate and relevant reporting and treatment options.
. Total plant health: from roots to tips
Poor plant health has the power to disrupt your management efforts and cause significant problems for your turf. Ensuring optimal nutrient uptake and protection against diseases and pests are all critical in growing healthy turf that can deliver the expected playing conditions to your customers. Our full suite of identification and tissue analytics will assist you to manage plant health effectively.
. Disease identification
Plant disease can cause problems in the sustained growth of your turf, and it can be extremely difficult to control the more it spreads. Effective disease control begins with accurate and proactive disease identification – and turf diseases can be challenging to identify because they’re primarily microscopic.
Trusted disease identification underpins our ability to report on and recommend timely treatment and prevention strategies around keeping your surfaces in peak playing condition year-round. myResults, our online platform, seamlessly links with analytic labs and our technical support team to deliver fast, accurate and relevant reporting and treatment options.
. Nematode identification
Plant parasitic nematodes can threaten the quality of your turf by feeding on roots and impacting root health and vitality. Roots with nematode damage have reduced capacity to absorb water and nutrients from the soil, diminishing their health and becoming more susceptible to disease and high stress periods, especially during summer. Almost all sportsturf species are affected by nematodes and damage often goes undiagnosed.
Trusted nematode identification underpins our ability to report on and recommend timely treatment and prevention strategies around keeping your surfaces in peak playing condition year-round. myResults, our online platform, seamlessly links with analytic labs and our technical support team to deliver fast, accurate and relevant reporting and treatment options.
. Tissue nutrient testing
Turf plants take nutrients up in specific ratios to nitrogen and although much of this happens in the soil, visualising the efficiency of uptake by looking at tissue nutrient levels, can prove to be a valuable tool. Used as a diagnostic tool the results complements soil chemistry and soil biology data, ensuring the nutrient cycle is optimal.
Using tissue nutrient test data on our online platform myResults, our agronomists can identify potential issues and assist with developing mitigation strategies to ensure your inputs deliver to expectations.
. Turf health report
Prevention is a facet of our comprehensive turf management approach because prevention is always better than cure. With a Turf Health Report we aim to build a regular baseline of turf health by combining a proactive view on the status of pathogens, parasitic nematodes and root health at critical times – be that prior to renovations or during stress periods.
Proactive decision making and program adjustments based on baseline data becomes a foundation for turf health year-round. myResults, our online platform, seamlessly links with analytic labs and our technical support team to deliver fast, accurate and relevant reporting and treatment options should it be needed.