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Fertilizer trends
1 Feb, 2009 By: Curt Harler Landscape ManagementFor lawn care operators (LCOs), less might be more in fertilization this year.
"A lot of our focus is on trying to make the product as economical for the LCO as possible," says Mike Sisti, product marketing manager for Lebanon Turf, Lebanon, PA.
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With the price of phosphorous (P) going through the roof, Lebanon Turf's Zero-P initiative has come front-and-center. But the company also is looking at new nitrogen (N) technologies to meet LCOs' needs.
"About 90% of our product focuses on Zero-P," Sisti says. "From an environmental and cost standpoint, it makes sense to apply only what you need. With the costs of P and potassium (K) skyrocketing, this has really hit home. This is an industry-wide promotion."
Mike Bandy, marketing manager of turf products for The Andersons, Maumee, OH, advises that LCOs rethink their overall fertilizer strategy this season. "Phosphorous should only be used where they need it," he says. "Potassium can be temporarily reduced, but this strategy will eventually affect turf quality.
"Focus on application accuracy," Bandy says, stressing accurate calibration. Use spreaders with deflectors to keep fertilizer from unwanted areas. LCOs also should look for more slow-release and controlled-release fertilizers on the market.
"Some manufacturers have worked hard to improve the durability of the coatings to allow for more predictable, and longer-lasting nitrogen release," says Bryan Gooch, marketing manager with Agrium Advanced Technologies, Sylacauga, AL.
Bob Bauwens, industry sales manager for Roots Plant Care Group of Novozymes Biologicals, Salem, VA, adds: "Look for improvements in the longevity of materials." Expect more slow-release and timed-release materials, as well as formulations with dispersible granules, he says. The latter offers minute amounts of product dispersed across the turf with NPK, herbicides and plant stimulants.
"The materials might not be new and innovative, but the way we put them together will give the user better and more effective use," Bauwens says.
Older sulfur-coated urea technologies still suffer from what is known as catastrophic release, where N might release all at once. Gooch says his company's new XCU brand of sulfur-coated technology has a proprietary new coating process that emphasizes durability.
Don Myers, product development manager for herbicides and plant growth regulators (PGRs) with Bayer Environmental Science, says he expects there will continue to be restrictions on certain materials, and that costs will continue to rise. "We are seeing a downward blip in oil prices ... but if you think it will stay that way, think again," he says.
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