Summer Stress Tools from Foliar-Pak

As summer approaches, the search for solutions to maintain thriving turfgrass becomes increasingly crucial. While solid agronomic practices lay the groundwork for success, a few tools from Foliar-Pak can make a significant difference.

CSi L: The Battle Against Traffic and Drought Stress
Among Foliar-Pak’s summer management tools, one product has become a vital tool in the turf industry for combating traffic and drought stress on golf courses, especially in the summertime.

Double-cutting, rolling, topdressing, and verticutting greens are important mechanical practices that superintendents use to maximize green speeds, increase surface firmness, and improve playability. However, these practices can be very stressful for turf, making it more susceptible to disease and causing the turf stand to thin out.

Foliar-Pak’s CSi L offers a solution to the harmful effects of those mechanical practices by providing a form of silicon that plants absorb through their leaves. Silicon strengthens cell walls, especially in the cuticle, resulting in a more robust turf stand that can withstand wear and tear. Also, it promotes more upright leaf blade growth, which increases density and improves cut quality, allowing superintendents to reduce the frequency of mechanical practices and ease stress on the turf and maintenance team.

Drought stress is a significant problem during the summer. CSi L is great at combating drought stress because of its unique amino acid that acts as an osmolyte. The amino acid impacts water relations within the plant, enhancing its ability to maintain proper hydration during drought and salt stress conditions. The improved hydration minimizes heat stress damage, keeping the turf healthier.

Gold Standard 45: Supporting Turf Health During Summer
Gold Standard 45 is an excellent addition to your summer maintenance arsenal because it supports turf health during this challenging time. Here’s how.

It helps maintain hydration by rapidly metabolizing amino acids into osmolytes, which keep vacuoles full and maintain turgor pressure in cells and grass blades. The amino acids also combine with phosphate to form phospholipid membranes, strengthening cell walls during stress and convert into defense structures and antioxidants, enhancing the plant’s systemic acquired resistance (SAR).

By preventing dormancy, maintaining cell turgidity and wall integrity, and fending off stressors, Gold Standard 45 helps plants continue photosynthesizing and generating energy, keeping them green and healthy.

Foundation Forty: Intergal for Summer Stress Programs
According to studies done at Purdue University, Foundation Forty loads more osmolytes into cell vacuoles and stomatal guard cells. Multiple biotic and abiotic stress factors bombard turf in the summer and a better osmolyte presence creates plants that function at a higher level under these stress conditions. A stronger, more vibrant plant with better functioning stomates is also going to absorb more systemic tank mix chemistries. This is especially so for plants that are under significant stress. Bonus!

Foundation Forty also delivers abundant levels of amino acids (with its 40% amino acid content) that increase nitrogen fixation, chlorophyll production, and carbon fixation, which builds energy reserves. Building energy reserves within the plant enables it to better withstand summer stress. It’s also why many users see improved color and increased stand density.

Armament K: A Well-Relied-On Summertime Tool
We have long relied on potassium as a nutrient to help plants tolerate heat, drought, and salt stress. Plants burn through potassium as they work hard to respire during high heat and humidity, so feeding them extra potassium is necessary.

Armament K is an excellent delivery system for foliar or root-feeding potassium. But it also provides extra benefits in terms of freeing up nutrition in the soil with Armament technology. So, Armament K directly benefits turfgrass by feeding it potassium and indirectly benefits it by increasing its availability of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and micronutrients from soil reserves.

As summer temperatures rise and environmental stresses increase, golf course superintendents need a robust defense strategy. Integrating Foliar-Pak products like CSi L, Gold Standard 45, Foundation Forty, and Armament K helps superintendents maintain healthy, resilient turfgrass. This approach ensures turf can withstand harsh summer conditions, improving playability and overall course quality.