Nature Safe

Understanding Turf Needs

nsadmin — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 21:21:10 +0000

By Lou Newman, Regional Sales Manager

I recently had the opportunity to visit with a key account manager for a large fertilizer and chemical distributor in the Southeast. I was attending a seminar organized by the customer and was given the chance to speak to many prospective end users and spend time with the team of professional reps.

The account manager is a Nature Safe supporter and promotes it for numerous uses. He showed his product knowledge, not only of my product, but also of his large amount of other products available to him. Someone who can diagnose a problem and then use his full arsenal of products to remedy that problem reminds me of a good doctor. So, he shall be referred to as “Doc” for the rest of this story.

It seems Doc had a golf course call him and ask him to come by and take a look at a situation. He had a discoloration on his golf greens. Many spots were evidencing a purplish to reddish-purplish color on the tips and edges of the leaves. He asked Doc what he thought.

After considering a couple of different possibilities, Doc said he thought it looked like a phosphorus shortage. This is very unusual for this area, as P is readily supplied by certain substrata and can even be measured in the groundwater.

The account not only brought up these points, but he also showed Doc a fairly recent soil test that showed more than adequate levels of P. Doc examined the test and they discussed it a while. A P limitation looked like a low possibility. But Doc knows his stuff and suggested another soil test from a different lab. The lab used only measured total P, but the second could test for total P as well as available P.

The lab was able to get the results back quickly, and as Doc thought, available P was much lower than total P. Lots of things can lock up nutrients, pH, CEC, high levels of other ions, even OM. With these test results the Doc prescribed the following

Use a soluble P liquid feed 2-3 times. This will start a fast response cure for the existing tissue.
Apply Nature Safe 5-6-6. This will do two things – provide a long term solution and source of available P and stimulate microbial action which can aid in the release of some of the tied up phosphorus.
Start a regular feeding with 5-6-6 at fairly low rates, but applied every month, with slightly higher rates after aerations.
Sure enough, with the liquid feed, color started to return to normal in just a couple of days. By the end of the second week, the color was back and the Nature Safe had started to release. The regular feedings and constant low level of Nature Safe have prevented the problem from returning.

The lessons from this are instructive:

Customer trust is important, or else Doc wouldn’t have been called in.
Experience and intuition convinced Doc of his diagnosis, in spite of the first test results.
Knowing the procedures at different labs and what the tests actually showed were key attributes.
Different products work in different ways and there is a use for them all.
At Nature Safe, we make the best organic based fertilizers on the market. Period. But we believe in an integrated use of our products as well as others. We would never think you should use only Nature Safe to the exclusion of other fertilizers, but we do think you should use Nature Safe in EVERY situation where it applies. Sometimes, it’s just what the Doctor ordered!

Nature Safe for Overseeding

nsadmin — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 20:30:45 +0000

By Al Lanoie, Regional Sales Manager

It is important to know that any effective overseeding program actually begins several months before the seed is spread. A number of factors should be taken into consideration when prepping an area for overseeding.

Thatch is a primary concern as a prominent thatch build up can inhibit seed germination and increase the difficulty of overseed blends to take root. Repeated light verticutting is recommended for the weeks leading up to overseeding to create a proper seed bed. With many chemical fertilizers, nutrition is made available through water solubility. This can create rapid leaf expansion which leads to increased clippings. Rapid expansion in the turf canopy can also mean shading of lower leaves below the mowing level. Even if clippings are collected, there is increased thatch build up from these shaded leaves. Nature Safe fertilizers produce thicker canopies rather than rapidly expanding leaf production. The use of Nature Safe can reduce the production of thatch as well as aid the decomposition of thatch.

By using the slowly available nitrogen contained in the proteins of Nature Safe, the feast and famine cycle often associated with chemical fertilizers is avoided. Nature Safe feeds slowly by making the nitrogen available to the plant through the life cycle of soil microbes. These living organisms respond to environmental conditions in the same manner as plants. With higher heat and moisture, plants require more nutrition and microbes are more active. In cooler periods, plant growth slows as does the microbe activity. By feeding the soil microbes with protein, Nature Safe provides the raw material for the expansion of the microbe population. A great energy source for soil microorganisms is carbon. And where can carbon be readily found? In thatch, as carbon is a main constituent of plant matter. By providing enough protein for the microbe population to increase, you also put pressure on the existing thatch by making it a food source.

Since Nature Safe has a very low salt index, you do not have to worry about burning newly emerged roots and growing tips. Nature Safe can take three to seven days to start releasing available nutrition and can be used by newly emerging roots at the most tender stage. This provides a large window of opportunity for application.

The slow availability also minimizes any leaching as only a small portion of the nutrition contained is available at any given moment. No worries about a heavy rain taking most of the fertilizer out of the range of new roots. Nature Safe stays in the root zone and provides the feed necessary to establish a solid overseed.

Nature Safe formulas derive their phosphorus from meat and bone meal which is also high in calcium. Calcium is a key component of cell wall construction. Since it is derived from a cooked organic source, it is readily available in chelated form for plant use. This steady and reliable source of calcium results in a hardy, durable plant that can better withstand the demands of traffic and cold temperatures.

Nature Safe can be applied at a rate of one pound of N per one thousand square feet from a few days before planting until up to one week after. It can be used in addition to sand or organic top dress and can be safely mixed with the top dress to reduce application time and labor.

Fall aeration should be done about eight weeks prior to overseeding. If done too close to seeding time, the turf can develop a spotty look as seed over the aeration holes will germinate faster and can show a deeper green. Playability will also suffer.

Statistics show that fewer clubs and sports fields do overseeding than they once did. And even those that do may have reduced the area they overseed. This makes it doubly important that you get all the sales you can from the overseeding programs in your territory, and that you insure the success of those customers who do overseed by promoting the benefits of Nature Safe.

How to Manage or Prevent Localized Dry Spot

nsadmin — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 21:16:56 +0000

By Al Lanoie, Regional Sales Manager

Localized dry spot can be a superintendent’s nightmare during the stressful summer months in the northeast. It usually appears from mid June through early September, but can be visible earlier or later in the growing season.

The main cause of localized dry spot, or water repellent soils, is a build-up of organic acids that form on soil particles. These organic acids are made of plant exudates and fungal hyphae, such as Fairy Ring, that are made up of non-polar molecules. Water is a polar molecule, therefore it cannot attach to soil particles for uniform hydration.

These non-polar coatings are always present and are a by-product of growing a good stand of turf. Localized dry spot is present in all turf situations. They are more prevalent on golf courses due to the different heights of cut and other stresses the turf endures. These organic coatings are even present in the winter months, but because of adequate moisture available, and lack of turf stress, localized dry spots are not evident.

Wetting agents, or soil surfactants, are one of the tools available to superintendents and turf managers to combat localized dry spot. Wetting agents have both a polar and a non-polar end to the molecule and create an adhesion sight in the soil. Therefore, the non-polar end attaches to the organic coating and the polar end can then hold water to hydrate the soil.

Another obstacle with uniform water movement into the soil is thatch. Thatch is also non-polar. Water will evaporate versus penetrate into the soil during the summer heat thus making the water unavailable to the roots. Nature Safe can be an important tool in managing localized dry spot. If used in a continuous program the natural ingredients will aid in deeper roots, disease management and thatch reduction. Nature Safe contains humus that not only affects nutrient holding capacity, but also water holding capacity.

Fall aeration is an ideal time to incorporate Nature Safe and begin the process of thatch reduction. It will establish a much deeper root system, improve soil porosity and the air and water ratios in the soil.

Nature Safe and soil surfactants are the winning combination to prevent and manage localized dry spots.

Pace Turfgrass Research Institute conducted an evaluation of fungicides and Nature Safe for control of localized dry spots and Fairy Ring. The results show that Nature Safe can successfully be used as a management tool in controlling localized dry spots and fungal invasion. Click here to view the research in its entirety.

Zero Phosphorous – What Does All This Really Mean?

nsadmin — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 21:15:23 +0000

By Mike McCarthy, Regional Sales Manager

Reams of bureaucratic paperwork have been created to support the 12 states that have banned phosphorus fertilizer use. Among these states are: Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. The banning of phosphorus started in Minnesota in the year 2002. Reportedly, the high phosphorus levels were harming the aquatic life, causing excessive algae and aquatic plant growth. Fertilizer runoff and sewage discharges are the cause of higher phosphate levels in the water. This runoff comes from yards, golf courses, gardens, etc. and runs into the surrounding ponds, creeks, rivers and bays. The overabundance of phosphate causes lower oxygen levels in the water harming fish and other aquatic animals.

The problem of high phosphate levels in water has evolved to more than just harming aquatic animals. “A 2010 interagency report of the National Science and Technology Council’s Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (in which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) participated) warns that declining oxygen levels in U.S. waters are forming low-oxygen “dead zones” and destroying habitats” (Miller). This issue is becoming a bigger problem to us as well, causing our own water to become “dangerous” with high levels of phosphate.

The best way to approach this sensitive issue/topic was to let an expert take it from here: perhaps many of you know Corey Angelo, Consultant/owner of Soil & Water Consulting now based in Hoboken, N.J. Corey started in golf course management after graduating from SUNY at Cobleskill, NY and later becoming a superintendent then moving and establishing his west coast business based in Las Vegas in 2005. So I asked Corey the question, “what does all this really mean” and rather than plagiarizing and/or abbreviating his comments, below is his direct quote:
“The uptake of phosphorus by plants in soils occurs through plant adsorption of the orthophosphate anion that is found in the soil solution. However, due to the complex chemistry of the soil, the amount of water soluble P that is actually available for plant uptake at any given time in the soil solution is exceptionally small. As a result, once phosphorus has been depleted from the soil solution it has to be replenished from soil phosphorus reserves. Interestingly, the ability of a soil to supply phosphorus to plants for uptake is highly dependent upon soil pH.

In general, under acidic conditions iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al) readily adsorb water soluble P, while in alkaline soils, calcium predominately fixes or ties up P, but Fe is also important. All of these reactions reduce the availability of P to plants. For this reason, a soil water pH between 6.2 and 6.8 is ideal because it limits the activities of Al, Ca, and Fe, allowing P to be more available for plant uptake. Soil chemical extractants (Bray P I and -II, Mehlich-3, Olsen, and Colwell) attempt to estimate the amount of P that is potentially available to plants. Each extractant works slightly different and was developed for different soil conditions. Additionally, each extractant has been related to crop yield data so that fertilizer recommendations can be made.

It is my opinion, that keeping a high pH soil routinely acidified is an excellent way to “mine” the phosphorus that already exists in the soil. This can take place through rain events, irrigation events where acid injection is used, the application of acidifying fertilizers (ammonium sulfate, gypsum, etc) and the use of sprayable “synthetic acids”. Governmental restrictions on phosphorus can be warranted in certain areas of the country where there are many bodies of water. However, most phosphorus run-off from fertilizers is not due to professional users. However, we must work within the system. Through routine soil test data collection in various areas of the country, I have found that there is usually plenty of phosphorus in the soil. Due to several factors listed above, it is not readily available to the plants and that is why golf courses or sports fields may see a need to apply a fertilizer such as 11-55-00. With phosphorus usage being eliminated altogether in many areas, this is not an option. So, knowing exactly what is in the soil and water source is important when making a decision to apply phosphorus or not” (Angelo).

Our many thanks to Corey. If you need to ask him any questions, please feel free to call him at 702-756-403. He is always ready to help.

The good news is that Nature Safe provides both phosphorus free and products with organic “P” contents for all types of applications. Let’s first begin with aeration and using Nature Safe’s flagship premier organic product 8-3-5. It is available in super fine, fine, and coarse grades. Recently, Nature Safe introduced another new aeration product that is phosphorus free, 10-0-8 super fine, also contains a kelp extract (from Ocean Organics) to meet your zero phosphorus needs. Many distributor sales personnel and end users are excited about this new product’s special bio-catalyst to benefit their greens during the hot summer months. This allows smaller amounts of 1/4 to 1/3 lb applications every month during the arid drought like summer conditions in addition to the zero phosphorus benefits.

Fairway applications have continued throughout the west coast territory as well as other markets around the country using both 21-3-7 and 27-0-2. With the cost of urea, most agree that it “pencils out” using a slow release blend of organics with UFLEXXTM. A world renowned resort superintendent in Las Vegas shared that the cost was less comparing the application rate and labor cost of a sewage-based organic. Those that are required to be phosphorus free, keep in mind that Nature Safe’s popular offering of 27-2-2 has now been completely phased out in favor of 27-0-2 and is immediately in stock for shipment. As an important side note, Nature Safe also has had a 50/50 blend of organics with ammonium sulfate with our 12-2-6 as another “tool in your belt” to help acidulate the soil by lowering the pH.

So whatever your needs are, Nature Safe’s commitment to address ever-changing state regulating requirements… we are here to serve you!

Bibliography

Angelo, Corey. Consultant/Owner of Soil & Water Consulting. Hoboken, N.J. (702) 756-4031

Miller, Kristen L. “State Laws Banning Phosphorus Fertilizer Use.” OLR Research Report. 1 Feb 2012. Web. 26 Jun 2012.

Zero Phosphorous Law Update

nsadmin — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 12:54:50 +0000

Zero Phosphorous Law Update
By Al Lanoie, Regional Sales Manager

I recently presented our Nature Safe products at a landscape and lawn care seminar in Danbury, CT. Many of the turf managers were from nearby Westchester County, NY where a zero phosphorus restriction and fertilizer application timing affect fertilizer users in this region.

Nature Safe addresses the zero phosphorus restrictions with product formulations like 9-0-9, 10-0-8 with kelp extract, 15-0-8 and the popular 27-0-2 with UFLEXXTM. The seminar attendees strongly supported these products and thought that as a fertilizer manufacturer Nature Safe has successfully addressed the zero phosphorus restriction with our product offering.

Here is an Update on the New York State Regulations as presented by a representative from the Department of Environmental Conservation:

Beginning January 1, 2012, use of a phosphorus fertilizer on lawns or non-agricultural turf is restricted.
Application of any fertilizer on lawns or non-agricultural turf is prohibited between December 1 and April 1.
Application of any fertilizer on lawns or non-agricultural turf within 20 feet of a water body or on paved surfaces is restricted.

Distributors must display phosphorus fertilizer separately from phosphorus-free fertilizers and must post signs notifying customers of the terms of the laws.

Fertilizer labels have three bold numbers. We all know that the number in the middle is the percentage of phosphorus in the product.

The law allows an end user to continue to use phosphorus fertilizer on lawn and non-agricultural turf after January 1, 2012 if that fertilizer was purchased prior to the effective date of the law.

Fertilizers that are derived from composts may be applied to all turf sites between April 1st and November 30th, except within 20 feet of surface water. Despite flying under the radar, so to speak, most compost fertilizers (especially poultry litter-based fertilizers) often contain the highest amounts of contaminating phosphorous and contribute to leaching and run-off. We’re confident Nature Safe would fall under this compost exemption as well, but would not leach like manure derived products.

The most important message is to know your local laws as they can differ from county to county. Known restrictions in New York are as follows:

Suffolk County: No fertilizer application between November 1 and April 1.
Nassau County: No fertilizer application between November 15 and April 1.
Westchester County: Fertilizer must be zero phosphorus.
Chautauqua County: Fertilizer must be zero phosphorus. There’s no exception for 10 foot vegetative buffer or controlled application of the spreader which would be used within 20 feet of surface water.

New York is not the only state with phosphorous restrictions. New Jersey, Minnesota, Maine, Wisconsin and Florida have adopted lawn fertilizer reduction programs as well. You may want to further investigate the laws in these regions to see if there is an opportunity to introduce your customers to our zero phosphorous product line.

Is Your Turf Under ‘A-salt’?

nsadmin — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 12:54:13 +0000

Is Your Turf Under ‘A-salt’?
Reprinted in part from SportsTurf, May 2012, by Dara M. Park

Sports fields are constantly under attack. Insects, diseases, weeds, and shrinking budgets are the enemies. At least these enemies are visible. Yet there is another enemy lurking about: being assaulted with salts is becoming more common. Don’t assume that this issue pertains to places near the ocean. There are other ways salts sneak into turf.

Where salts come from
Yes, coastal areas see the greatest impacts from salt spray and/or irrigating with tidally influenced rivers, lakes and other surface waters. But salt problems are not limited to coastal areas. Other conditions where salts may be problematic include:

Turfgrass irrigated from naturally occurring saline aquifers.
Excessive removal of water from shallow freshwater aquifers can result in them being contaminated by saline water from underlying aquifers.
Irrigating with treated waste water; many times, salts are used as part of the treatment process.
Arid regions where salts concentrate in soils as water is lost through evapotranspiration and not replaced through rainfall or adequate irrigation.
Areas in droughts or dense populations where water conservation efforts result in constant water restrictions that limit irrigation.
Many deicers and snow melt chemicals are salt based. The salts are lost with water runoff. If that water is shunted to an irrigation pond, the pond water can become salinized.

Attacks on soil structure

There are many different salts out there: calcium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, magnesium sulfate, sodium bicarbonate just to name a few. Having many different salts present does not do much harm for your soil structure. Those divalent cations (2+ charges) magnesium (Mg2+) and calcium (Ca2+) act as bridges between the cation exchanges sites on soil particles. This results in aggregating the soil and promoting air and water movement.

And then there is sodium (Na+). Sodium is a monovalent cation (one + charge), and thus it does not act as a bridge between soil particles. Instead, Na fills each exchange site. In addition, Na is a very hydrous ion; it likes a lot of water. You can think of it as a very “bulky” ion and in being so, it pushes soil particles away from each other. This is called soil dispersion. When Na disperses soil particles there are little to no aggregates. Individual soil particles lay close together and the soil is susceptible to compaction resulting in very few pores for water and air movement. Water can no longer easily penetrate and move throughout the soil profile. Roots also have a hard time growing.

The degree of problems increases with the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of your soil. Since CEC is related to soil texture, knowing what your grass is growing on will help you quickly assess damage potential. Finer textured soils and soils with organic matter will have greater CEC than medium to coarse sand soils. Thus soil structure problems will be less in sandy soils.

Plant torture: salt induced battle scars
Under typical soil moisture conditions, plants have to overcome one major obstacle to take up water; the tension of water being held to soil particle surfaces. This is called matric tension. Plants must overcome another battle when salts are present, called osmotic tension. Think of this as the battle over water. Salts like water too and thus plants must work harder and exert more energy to battle the salts to take up the water. If too many salts are present, plants cannot take up enough water and begin to stress and wilt.

If Na disperses soil aggregates and ruins soil structure, turfgrasses may become water stressed because water is never getting to the root zone. Rather water from irrigation and rainfall is lost to runoff or evaporation from the surface. In addition, as water is taken up from the soil by the plant, some solutes are taken up as well. In concentrated amounts, toxicities can occur. Some turfgrasses have ways to deal with increased salts. For example, bermudagrass has salt excretion glands at the base of their blades. In general, warm-season grasses tend to be more salt tolerant than cool-season grasses. Grasses vary greatly in their tolerance to specific solutes. Besides root uptake, overhead irrigation with saline water may directly burn foliage. In both cases of direct injury, the plant may become stressed as it uses energy to repair tissue rather than for daily metabolic processes.

Knowing is half the battle

Any good attack starts with knowing your enemy. Get your irrigation water source analyzed. Make sure the test report includes Na, Cl, Mg, Ca, electrical conductivity, soil absorption ratio, and residual sodium carbonates. The lab should be able to help you interpret the results. If you have a saline and or sodium problem, you will need to also take soil samples to assess current soil conditions to determine which management practices you will need to take.

Management typically includes many of the following:

Aerifying to break up any salt crusts that may form (a great time to apply Nature Safe fertilizers)
Topdressing with coarse sand to improve water and air movement (incorporate Nature Safe into the topdressing)
Ensuring the drainage system is adequate.
Leaching the soil with every irrigation applying a leaching requirement if the soil salt status is to be maintained at its current level, or a reclamation factor if soil salt concentrations need to be lowered.
Applying an amendment directly to the soil or injected into the irrigation system to knock Na off the cation exchange sites and leach it past the root zone.

Nature Safe Fertilizers can also deliver solutions to help manage salt and water challenges. Nature Safe has a low salt index and contains chelated calcium that is slowly released to help leach salts from the soil. This results in lower total applied salts that minimize root damage and conditions the soil. Populations of beneficial microbes are increased and release minerals over a longer period. This reduces thatch composition and increases fertility efficiency.

With the cumulative use of Nature Safe, your turf will have better roots and higher reserves of carbohydrates, resulting in increased density and stress tolerance. The soil and plant will also utilize water more efficiently.

Nature Safe and Spring Aeration

nsadmin — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:52:34 +0000

By Al Lanoie, Northeast Regional Manager

The subject of Nature Safe and spring aeration has been discussed and written about many times before. Here are some additional thoughts on the benefits of using Nature Safe at aeration time and how to increase sales opportunities in a stagnant golf market. The bottom line is if your customers go through the hassle of aeration, they should maximize the benefits of this critical cultural practice by fertilizing with Nature Safe.

Aerification improves long term turfgrass health and playability while creating short term turfgrass stresses and player inconveniences. The high amino acid content of Nature Safe contributes to faster turf recovery and less summer heat stress due to increase root mass and depth.

One of the most important reasons for aeration is the removal and reduction of thatch build up in turf – especially on putting surfaces. As thatch accumulates, the root zone receives less oxygen, water, and nutrients. Nature Safe aids in the reduction of thatch with sugars and carbohydrates that are present in the various formulations we offer.

In addition to improved aerification recovery times, superintendents using Nature Safe are also experiencing increased tolerance to other turfgrass stresses, such as heat, drought, cold and disease pressures compared to turf not treated with Nature Safe. These stress tolerance attributes are helping superintendents decrease their dependency on irrigation and less chemical inputs to manage their turfgrass.

If you do the math of just focusing on your top 25 customers and position Nature Safe only for aeration, the total benefits to your customer, your business and your wallet are amazing!

Here are recommended programs for greens, tees, fairways, and sports turf:

Greens (1 lb N/M)
5-6-6 F	17 bags/acre
8-3-5 SF	11 bags/acre
10-0-8 SF	9 bags/acre
12-2-6 F	7 bags/acre

Tees (In addition to above)
10-2-8 F	9 bags/acre
15-0-8 F	6 bags/acre

Fairways/Lawncare (In addition to above)
10-2-8 C	9 bags/acre
15-0-8 C	6 bags/acre
21-3-7 C	4 bags/acre
27-2-2/27-0-2 C	3 bags/acre

Contact your Nature Safe representative at 1-800-252-4727 if you have any questions about putting together a spring aerification package for your customers. Good luck and great selling during this Happy New Year!

Does Nature Safe Have Any Competitors?

nsadmin — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:47:04 +0000

By Mike McCarthy, Western Regional Manager

There are two old adages: 1) “Copying is the sincerest form of flattery,” and 2)“Figures don’t lie, but liars figure.” Such must be the case with a competitor’s newest organic manure blended product introductions and baseless claims of content and performance. Perhaps it should be suggested that a good brand name for their products might be “Whisper”, because it contains at the most, 33%-35% organic manure content by volume, and just a whisper of organic value.

Ever since Nature Safe’s successful introduction of 27-2-2/27-0-2 which is a 50/50 blend of Nature Safe’s USDA food grade animal proteins, combined with UFLEXXTM stabilized urea, the fertilizer marketplace has been inundated with cheap copycats trying to imitate and confuse customers by deceit, and blatantly making false claims…“It’s just like Nature Safe, only cheaper”. Yes, that is an actual quote relayed to me by a Denver, CO based golf course superintendent.

Yes, those competitors may have a cheaper cost per bag, but they are, in fact, definitely more expensive. These boastful competitors do not mention that they use chicken manure, sewage sludge or bio-solids to provide their lesser valued “organic” ingredient content.

Here are three main points of concern:

1. How available is the organic nitrogen to the turf/plant? Nature Safe has several university research studies indicating that our feather, meat, bone and blood meals are more readily available to the plant in 12 weeks. This happens more quickly than any other organic ingredients.

2. Amino acid content, which directly translates as “food quality value”, is as much as six times higher in Nature Safe animal protein ingredients as compared to chicken manure and sewage sludge. This is proven by independent research from Clemson University*.

3. Nature Safe’s salt content is .006% when all other organic manure contents are off the charts. Then what about the heavy metal content of sewage sludge? Do your soil and/or water tests show that you are deficient in Mercury, Cadmium and other heavy metals?

Just consider how available the organic nitrogen is to the plant. Research from North Carolina State University* further proved that it took up to two years to release the NPK value of chicken manure to the turf/plant. That same research also proved that the highest amount of N value from chicken manure was 3.6%. When you compare the nutrient release value of Nature Safe’s 13-0-0 at a 99% in three months versus organic manure ingredients that can take up to 24 months to fully release, the nutritional value would equal much less than 1% during that same period. You have to ask yourself how much value is in the bag?

Even if the competitor’s release values were similar (which they are not) consider the value of the food quality that is closer defined as amino acid content. Here is where Nature Safe Natural and Organic Fertilizers score the highest. A good example would be to compare the food value (basic seven) of a Twinkie as compared to filet mignon. Some would say that they are both delicious, but what is the “food quality value” comparison? Would your body and future health benefit more from the Twinkie or steak? That same logic of science holds true in the food quality benefit that is available to the soil microbes. How much value is in the bag?

Salt content may be only regional in importance, especially if you are concerned about drought-like conditions or if your water source is a problem. There are volumes of research available online that has considered the high salinity already present in the soil, perhaps you might want to reconsider adding even more salt from organic manure based fertilizers. Is it really cheaper in the long run?

So, to answer the article’s title question, “Does Nature Safe have any competitors?” The answer is a definite NO. Research, logic, applications and more importantly, the results have proven this repeatedly. It is imperative that you help your customer recognize the facts by reading the product label to correctly value and compare the true cost of available units of N to translate the value in the bag and not fall prey to “…but liars figure”.

Soil Microbes = Free Labor

nsadmin — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:43:52 +0000

By Lou Newman, Southeastern Regional Manager

The economy continues to put pressure on superintendents everywhere. Rounds played continue to be at best level with last year. Costs go up while budgets are stagnant or decreasing and expectations are as high as ever. Wouldn’t it be great if there were some way to get some free labor to help provide nutrition to your course? There is, and it’s right under everybody’s nose…or should I say feet!
That’s right, in every soil there is the potential for free help from billions of helpers, if we would but use them. They are called microbes, microorganisms, soil life, biota or soil fauna. They exist in some form and at some level in every soil whether a sand based man-made green, a landscaped bed, a native fairway or an untouched wetland.

Soils have three major components, minerals, organic matter and biota. The major thrust of all research and learning for the past century has been with the mineral component. We are well versed in the required levels of all chemical elements. In this school of thought, soil is more or less viewed as only a means to hold roots and transfer soluble elements to the roots of the plant. And while this is obviously a critical and important facet of plant nutrition, it is not the full story.

Organic matter (OM) has a long acknowledged role in soil structure. While it comprises only about 2-5% of soil mass, it can play a large part in water holding capacity, drainage, soil buffering and compaction resistance. In the last two decades more and more turf managers (and farmers for that matter) understand the need to maintain adequate levels of OM. Once thought of as only the bane of turf managers in the form of thatch, OM in the soil profile is recognized as a necessary factor in the healthy growth of plants, especially roots.

We are now on the cusp of recognizing and utilizing the third major component of soil, and that is the soil life. Soil biota is a term that encompasses all living organisms from earthworms to bacteria. The vast majority of soil life is in the form of bacteria. These little guys are very intimately involved in a huge cross section of all chemical changes that occur in soil. They consume carbon, they convert nitrogen, they render insoluble minerals available, they secrete substances that build soil structure, they create heat that warms root zones as well as a myriad of other processes, some of which we are still discovering.

Fungi decompose organic matter, create humus and, perhaps most importantly, through Mycorrhiza, make vast amounts of nutrition available to plants by altering availability and increasing a roots capacity for water uptake and drought resistance.

We have long thought of bacteria and fungi only in the terms of pathogens that are to be avoided, controlled or eliminated. But we have overlooked the beneficial organisms and their effects. By promoting the growth of beneficial microbes, we reduce the possibility of incidence of pathogens. Only one organism can occupy a given space at a time. This is the biological rule termed competitive exclusion. Beneficials are far more adaptive than pathogens and given the chance will out-compete pathogens for a place in the soil.

These are the billions of little workers that we can use to help establish prize winning turf. These guys work 24/7. In warm weather, when plants grow faster and require more food, beneficial microbes also increase in activity. In cool weather, plants slow down, and so do these little guys. They help make insoluble chemical forms soluble, they capture soluble forms and hold it for a few days as part of their bodies. Though tiny, their sheer numbers amount to far more mass than historically recognized. And to keep them happy, you need to keep a few things in mind:

Harsh chemicals can reduce the number of soil microbes. Any sudden increase in chemistry can kill off beneficials, and in some cases make it easier for pathogens to get established
Most fertilizers are salt based, and the high application of soluble, salt based products can literally dry out microorganisms just as they can damage roots and cause desiccation.
Slow release fertilizers are better suited to maintaining microbe populations. The availability of chemicals in a slower release pattern does not disturb soil life to any great extent.
Microbes consume more than just simple available nutrients. They like carbon and proteins. This is what they are made of and it is natural that they are well suited for exploiting these substances for their own use.

Nature Safe is produced to feed this microbial population. Nature Safe is slow release nutrition, protein based nitrogen and phosphorous, is easy to apply, feeds for months, has an extremely low salt index and promotes the growth of soil microbes so they not only capture the nutrition in the Nature Safe, but also from native soil minerals and conventional fertilizers.

Plant nutrition is not a chemical system, it is a biochemical system, and recognizing it as such means you can do a better job. Used alone, or applied with conventional fertilizers in fairway blends, Nature Safe will increase the microbe populations putting all these guys to work for you. It’s free labor, who works overtime, with one goal in mind. Isn’t it time to put them to work for you?

Turf Tip

nsadmin — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 15:51:39 +0000

Nature Safe provides information about how to fertilize your turf with region-specific programs that include standard rates and timings and formulation suggestions. There are many factors that influence these rates and timings. It is important that each turf area be fertilized according to its needs. For example, some areas require more nitrogen fertilization because they are highly trafficked and need additional N to promote growth and recovery. In other areas, well-established lawns may need less nitrogen fertilization because they have more organic matter in the soil. Go to Nature Safe’s web site at www.naturesafe.com or contact your Nature Safe representative for specific programs to fit your customer’s turf needs.