When Jake Mendoza, Director of Agronomy at the Detroit Golf Club, was looking to ramp up the reduction of organic matter and thatch on the fairways of the home course of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, he looked to a technology he already trusted, Foliar-Pak Armament technology.
Armament technology is a biodegradable nutrient enhancer that prevents nutrient-to-nutrient interactions and chemical changes in the spray tank and the soil. Mendoza had used a go-to fertilizer treated with Armament for a few years and trusted it because it produced the results he wanted. The Armament-treated fertilizer reduced the thatch and organic matter on his fairways. Mendoza, however, wanted to take the results further.
To do this, he brought in another product with Armament technology in it, Foliar-Pak’s Armament Concentrate.
“We had already been using a fertilizer treated with Armament technology,” Mendoza said. “So, we thought by adding more Armament in a bi-weekly application [a quarter ounce every 14 days] we could increase the break down of that thatch and organic matter even more.”
Mendoza was not wrong. He saw a dramatic increase and improvement in rooting, along with an improvement in turf density and fairway color.
“We definitely saw a dramatic increase in rooting,” Mendoza said. “But not just in depth. We also saw an improvement in density and quality of the roots.”
He continued, “We saw a more consistent color throughout the fairways and an improvement in turf density, too, all without a large flush of growth. And we were not falling behind with mowing. The turfgrass plants were just healthier without looking over-fertilized or like we were trying to push things too hard.”
The results from Armament Concentrate did not stop there. In addition to the improvement in roots, color response, and turf density and quality, Mendoza was also able to reduce his fertilizer inputs on his fairways.
“Before we started using Armament Concentrate on our fairways, we saw a decrease in turf quality before we hit our 14-day spray window,” Mendoza said. “With the product in the tank, we found we could easily make the full 14-day spray window without seeing a change in turf color or quality. Armament Concentrate is absolutely improving the efficiency of the other fertilizer products in our tank.”
According to Mendoza, besides its performance, one of Armament Concentrate’s best attributes is the low use rate.
“The quarter-ounce rate makes mixing very easy,” Mendoza said. “You’re not using multiple jugs to get the product in the tank. It’s a quick, one-jug measurement.”
He pointed out, “For some products, you have to apply a significant amount of product, and when you’re mixing it, it gets pretty tedious. At Armament Concentrate’s quarter-ounce rate, it’s a nice, easy addition to every spray.”
Mendoza plans to expand his use of the Foliar-Pak line to the 18 greens of the Detroit Golf Club’s South Course, and it’s all because of Armament Concentrate.
“When we started looking at how we could improve our spray program on the South Course,” Mendoza said. “We looked at every product we previously used, and Armament Concentrate’s results just stood out. So, we thought it would be a great benefit to us to expand and look at other products in that line.”
He added, “Every time the tank goes out on the South Course, there is no question that Armament Concentrate is going in there. It’s that good.”
