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By Jodi Barber in Golf on 30th Jun 2011 9:00
Henbury Golf Club Course Manager Gary Hawley suggests that major savings could be made on fungicide bills by using the British Seed Houses fertiliser Vitanica RZ on greens or collars.
Vitanica RZ is an organic-mineral NPK fertiliser with a very special ingredient. Bacillus Subtilis inhibits the spread of pathogens, leading to increased vitality of the plant and reduced susceptibility to disease. This unique product is ideal for use at any time of year, but especially when disease pressure is highest, such as the autumn.
Henbury Golf Club's picturesque 18 hole parkland course is a challenging Par 3 and was originally constructed around 100 years ago.
In the autumn of 2010. Gary applied Vitanica RZ to the 14th green and practice green and its collar. The green itself was clean, having been treated with a preventative fungicide, but the collar was untreated.
"I decided to split the green in half and incorporate the collar in the trial, and where Vitanica had been used, there was very little fusarium," he explains. "A video that I took on my phone shows a distinct line between the treated and untreated area."
Gary now plans to incorporate Vitanica RZ to his feed programme coming into the autumn.
"I believe that the added disease resistance offered by the active ingredient Bacillus Subtilis has helped prevent fusarium developing on the collar," he comments, "and that the savings on fungicide treatment could be £600-700. This not only cuts costs, but the reduction in spraying offers environmental benefits too."
He will also try out Vitanica RZ on two or three greens this autumn. "If it is as effective on the greens as the collars, we may be able to eliminate preventative fungicide too, which could offer significant savings," Gary comments.
British Seed Houses, Camp Road, Witham St Hughs, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN6 9QJ UK
Tel: +44 (0)1522 868714 - Fax: +44 (0)1522 868095 - www.britishseedhouses.com
Read more articles in Golf, by Jodi Barber or from June 2011.
