Daisies disappearing act

"Daisy control was superb. It was as if they had completely disappeared or had never been there." That was the comment from Darren Woodward, golf course manager at Tylney Park Golf Club, following weed treatment with Esteem* last season. The product, which is marketed through Vitax Amenity, had been used in a trials programme but its performance was so impressive that he intends to use it as part of his weed management strategy this year.

Accuracy of play is essential for sports such as golf so top quality turf is essential. Hard to control weeds such as daisies, clover, dandelions, creeping buttercup and plantain, can compromise this vital asset and so a high level of weed control needs to be achieved. At the same time it is important to avoid potential damage to turf by the wrong choice of herbicide.

With three different active ingredients, clopyralid, 2,4-D and MCPA, Esteem gives a broad and robust spectrum of weed control to a wide range of turf weeds. Clopyralid is particularly good at working throughout the whole of the plant right down to the roots which ensures longer lasting and more effective weed control.

"Products such as Esteem pay dividends especially when budgets are being squeezed." explains Joe Crawley, Sales and Marketing Manager, Fine Turf for Vitax Amenity. "Some of the older phenoxy products may appear on the surface to be cheaper but they just do not perform as well. Weeds grow back within weeks and you then need to go on again with a further application. If you have a product that can be applied once in a season and it gives the control you need, not only will you be saving money but also time."

"The trials we ran with the product in October last year, using 3l/ha in 300 litres of water, gave very good results, despite the weather getting colder," advised Woodward. The product is best applied between April and October, when weeds are actively growing. It is safe to all the main turf grass species and rainfast within an hour of application.

"Esteem really does tick all the boxes when it comes to weed control. It is one of those products that once you have tried it you will use it each year. We will be adding it to our product inventory and it will play a fundamental role in our integrated weed management strategy this year," recommends Woodward.