On grass areas where there is little or no human interference in the form of excessive fertiliser and pesticides, such as in meadows or parks, the thatch layer will almost always be at the optimum level for a continued healthy turf/soil eco-system. This is due to the soil/plant relationship being in balance; a strong and sufficiently lively soil microbe population releases nutrition from the thatch layer as it decomposes naturally.
The Sweet Spot in greenkeeping is when your green's Physical, Chemical and Biological components come into line to deliver results you couldn't previously have imagined were possible. Hitting that sweet spot is a lot simpler than you might imagine too, as focus on the soil's biology will naturally correct some of the worst Chemical problems and compensate for some of the worst Physical ones. There should be no problem "selling" this idea to your club either as first of all it saves money and secondly it massively improves green performance and consistency.
Today, we will look at two mechanisms of turfgrass physiology that are active in our grass plants and soil and that follow this tendency towards equilibrium, without which our turf wouldn't be able to grow and thrive.
Each of the grass plants in our green is akin to a little factory where Carbon Dioxide and Water are broken down and converted to a sugar based plant food that can be used immediately to fuel the plant's growth processes or converted to starch and stored throughout the plant for future use.
Seaweed extracts have been found to improve the quality of fine turf by increasing turf density, colour, and uniformity. Seaweed extracts contain betaines, which are natural osmoprotectants that help grass plants retain water and maintain turgor pressure, so should be a key component in the management and recovery of LDP affected turf. It's continued use results in a green that becomes increasingly resistant to wear and tear.
