and now Primo!

Well life never stays the same does it .. the wet weather after a very dry spell seems to have kicked off disease for some, but for many grass growth has moved on very quickly. Sounds like a political soundbite!And after spending a great week in Scotland looking a variety of turf grass situations, the topic seems to have very quickly turned to Primo. Trinexepac-ethyl (TE) is a great ai and has many turf benefits in many situations. I guess the main one is generally thought of as its growth regulation effects. Trinexapac-ethyl (Primo Maxx®), developed in the 1990’s, slows turf growth by slowing the production of GA1, the final form of GA. All other 120+ forms of GA that lead to formation of GA1, are not stopped and is foliar absorbed. However , the first discussion this week was around phyto and applications has caused some yellowing, especially in the poa in a Rye dominated sward. We always recommend applying with 2.5kg/N per hectare with each application and always try to start with a half rate app at the start of the season. Also be careful not to apply to turf which is stressed as this might cause any phyto to increase and it might not have needed it anyway. Another conversation centred around using Primo with pigments to keep the colour without adding too much N or iron. Pigments have a whole host of benefits so there might be some great work to be done in this area which might really benefit the turf manager, job to do I think. Advice should always be sought from your ICL Technical Area Sales Manager before any tank mix is applied. However for me one of the main benefits of Primo Maxx is the pre stress conditioning for the turf and application now to keep control over the growth if continued will also have a benefit for the turf if summer is good and the turf begins to dry out. Work done at Rutgers below shows the benefits of TE applications in advance of the stressful conditions of summer. Anyway lets hope this good weather continues as it really helps the golf industry in the UK which is what we all want. Any questions on Primo please email at moc.atnegnyS@ybrik.nnelg and thanks you to moc.atnegnyS@lledsom.naed for some of the images.