SUSTAINABILITY Made easy?
says there is no quick way to change and maintain
excellent playing surfaces
Symbio’s MARTIN WARD
EU inspired reductions in pesticide use, sustainable golf, concerns about fertiliser run off and the need for top quality playing surfaces made up of fine grasses are giving rise to a major rethink on how sports turf should be managed. There is no quick way to change and maintain excellent playing surfaces because USGA specification golf greens or predominantly sand based football pitches are not designed for sustainable growth. When these rootzones were developed heavy fertiliser, water and toxic pesticide applications were the norm and the key element was drainage and the ability to maintain play in all weathers. Poa annua was an accepted grass and many Greenkeepers and Groundsmen honed their skills in managing poa annua while juggling water fertiliser and chemical inputs. On soil based rootzones people still talk of “traditional greenkeeping” as the application of ammonium sulphate and ferrous sulphate, though passing ammonia through concentrated sulphuric acid at 800oC to make
ammonium sulphate is hardly traditional, and did not start until the end of the First World War. It is now mostly made as a co-product of coke and plastics production. Ferrous sulphate is a by-product of the steel pickling industry. Both have a relatively high salt index which, among other things, adversely effects soil microbiology and natural nutrient uptake and disease defence mechanisms of grass.
So, how can grass be managed to meet the demands of legislation and the environment to produce the exceptional playing surfaces demanded by today’s sportsmen?
TO move away from chemical dependency we need to understand the basics of soil biology. Grasses are an extremely important part of the global food chain, they convert atmospheric carbon and nitrogen into protein and carbohydrates for a massive percentage of the world’s mammals. There are many thousands of mechanisms to ensure grass growth continues in times of stress, to stop the chain breaking
down and to prevent mass starvation through the entire food chain. Since the 1920s, when inorganic fertilisers were introduced to override natural nutrient uptake, sports turf soil has been prone to excessive fungal disease, dry patch, thatch build up and black layer. Turf managers have been taught to use fertilisers and chemicals to treat the symptoms of poor quality soil. Excessive fertilisers, fungicides, water and iron very successfully break down the soil food chain, blocking natural growth and disease suppression. More chemicals are introduced to treat more symptoms and the soil becomes less and less fertile. We probably all know of turf managers following this chemical dependent management and losing their jobs when the rootzone becomes too toxic to support decent grass growth.
Let’s look at how grass naturally
survives. Plants photosynthesise by taking energy from the sun, carbon and nitrogen from the air, producing carbohydrates, proteins and sugars. In grass about 50% of this energy goes into top growth, to feed the above
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