Fertiliser Programme

A planned approach to turfgrass nutrition. Key aims of a fertiliser programme are to support the maintenance and development of a suitable turfgrass sward. Outcomes can be measured in terms of carrying capacity, durability of ground cover, density of sward, uniformity of sward, colour, extent of desirable grass species, user playing experience, playing quality such as speed / ball roll as well as traction, contribution to sustainability, cost-effectiveness, impact on disease susceptibility, impact on drought resistance, impact on weed ingress, and other measures.

A range of factors need to be considered to get the most from a fertiliser programme, including (but not exclusively) the following:
• Timing of application: ground and weather conditions, time of year, influence of or impact on any games or tournaments, sequencing with other maintenance activities.
• Geographic location: This can influence timings as well as extent of the programme, especially concerning the length of the active growing season.
• Has rainfall been excessive or is it expected to rain heavily for any length of time?
• The purpose of the grass sward: Is it a sports surface (and the type of sport) or general amenity area?
• Is an application needed for changing sward composition, maintaining the existing composition, for use during seeding, as additional to what was originally planned, as a pre-tournament requirement?
• Existing nutrient availability: What is currently available to a grass plant? Is this in excess of what is needed, a suitable amount, or a deficiency?
• Are clippings mostly boxed off or let fly? Returning clippings will reduce the amount and range of nutrients needing to be applied as a fertiliser.
• What might the likely effect be on leaf growth? Will this produce an unnecessary flush of growth which requires additional mowing or verticutting?
• What might the effect of the fertiliser be on root growth, especially at different times of the year when it might be applied?
• Soil pH: How might this influence availability of applied nutrients.
• What type of rootzone is present? How freely does it drain?
• How might the fertiliser, positively or negatively, influence earthworm activity?
• How might the fertiliser influence disease conditions or likelihood of disease incidence?
• What are the current grass species present in the sward and are these the desirable species?
• What nutrient input is most suited for the existing or required grass species needs and competitiveness?
• How much of each nutrient will be needed over the year, or growing season?
• What type of fertiliser might be applied? Is it a straight, mixture, compound etc?
• What is the action of the fertiliser regards nutrient release rates and availability?
• What is the origin or source of the fertiliser? Is it organic or inorganic?
• What is the formulation for the fertiliser to be used? Is it granular, a liquid etc?
• How might the fertiliser be best spread and is the equipment available?
• How many applications might be needed?
• What might be the application rate?
• How might the fertiliser influence, or be influenced by, any biostimulants which might have been, or are being, applied?
• How might the fertiliser influence, or be influenced by, any soil conditioners which might have been, or are being, applied?
• How might the fertiliser influence, or be influenced by, any wetting agents which might have been, or are being, applied?
• Is adequate irrigation available to help wash in a fertiliser, if needed?
• Are there surrounding environments which may be affected by any particular fertiliser?
• What storage facilities might be needed for the fertiliser containers / bags?
• What are the manual handling requirements for the fertiliser/s?
• Are staff adequately trained to calibrate and use the application equipment, as well as handle the fertiliser to be applied.
• What budget is available?

Once a full range of factors have been considered then a well-informed, efficient and effective fertiliser programme can be devised.