INDUSTRY


E


llie Parry: You launched Symbio in 1990; how did you become part of the sports turf industry?


Martin Ward: Symbio began as a bioremediation company using microbiology to clean up contaminated soils, lakes and irrigation ponds used for golf course irrigation. Nitrate and phosphate run off feeds algal growth, so to us the obvious solution was to stop nutrient leaching by fixing the nitrate and phosphate in the rootzone, the same way as is done is sewage treatment plants. We trialled our technology at 10 or 11 sites with amazing results. Fertiliser inputs halved, thatch degraded to humus and less Poa seed heads were evident, while desirable grasses thrived. David was originally the driving force behind the technical development and I became the spokesperson.


By 1992, it became apparent that the largest potential markets for environmental biotechnology lay in the fields of agriculture, horticulture and amenity turf management, and Symbio switched to these markets. Back then the use of microbes to improve plant growth and soil quality was completely new. We launched Symbio Green Circle that year, the first biotech product for nutrient retention and recycling for sports turf, followed by Thatch Eater, the first biological thatch degrader, in 1993. When I first began speaking about their benefits, people thought I was completely mad. Turf managers and agronomists were sceptical; some saw our products as nothing more than ‘hocus pocus’. We’ve continued to innovate and educate in tandem, and now our programmes have been adopted by thousands of venues around the world.


How has the industry changed since then?


In some ways a great deal, in other respects very little. Short-termism remains an issue. Masking symptoms instead of solving the underlying problems is still the accepted


Martin Ward


management practice for most turf managers. The industry is still dealing with the same issues - thatch formation, disease, excess fertiliser use, compaction and Poa annua, in much the same way as when the USGA specification was introduced nearly sixty years ago. Designed to leach nutrients and drain quickly, natural growth processes have been side-lined in favour of physical and chemical management. Biology, physics and chemistry must be used together for optimal results. Turf managers continue to battle with the health of their greens while there are no issues with the rough. Anybody that has suffered a major disease outbreak knows how rapidly microbes can change conditions. To use beneficial microbes for rapid improvement to your advantage, turf managers need to understand how soil and plants interact for healthy, disease-free growth. Each soil system is unique. When you are dealing with thousands of microbes, there are lots


To have turf managers tell me they can relax and


enjoy their job again because the stress of managing fine turf is removed when healthy rootzones are restored is my greatest achievement


PC April/May 2020 109


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