Page 13 - GM spring 2024

The definitive line between sprayed with our organic spray and not sprayed.
Ideas can grow while watching riparian zones burn.
additional Nitrogen. Since I found this out, some studies have shown exactly how spraying humic acid foliarly benefits fertilizer uptake so hopefully you use this knowledge at your course today. That said, it was nice to have witnessed the response that is achieved by spraying humic acid foliarly many years before this breakthrough.
ORGANIC APPLICATION HELPS WITH FUNGICIDAL PROPERTIES Most notably, the greatest success we have had here at the Skeena Valley Golf & Country Club has been discovering an organic application that has fungicidal properties. Since using this spray, we have eliminated over 40 synthetic fungicide appli- cations over 8 years.
This spray was discovered while playing around with compost sprays and different mixtures. I have noticed how the riparian zones I burn always came back so well and with no disease got me thinking of adding ash to the compost mix. I included the ash to the compost sprays in the spring and it was that fall that I noticed we did not have any microdochium pressure. It took all I had in me to not spray a preventative Daconil application, but I did not.
Our spray was keeping our greens disease free. We have been using this spray regularly ever since during disease pressure times. As previously mentioned, high disease pressure times are almost all the time up here. We had a section of our practice facility green DNA tested for known turfgrass pathogens. This section of the practice facility green had not received any synthetic spray at all for many years. The results were incredible with almost no pathogens present, yet healthy grass growth has been achieved.
I have also tried this spray on powdery mildew in a greenhouse with perfect results. I have tried to get Superintendents to try this spray but due to pressures to perform most Superintendents stick to what they have always done in the past. Despite having incredible environmental benefits, the risk is hard for Superintendents to take on. I have switched from saying “you should try it?” to asking, “why wouldn’t you try it?”
Hardwood ash is supposed to be best but any ash from a wood stove works.
DNA test of area only sprayed with organic spray for years.
GreenMaster • CGSA • 13