GILBA TURF BLOG
sports turf consultants
The Gilba Turf blog covers a wide range of turf and grass related topics ranging from Slow release fertilizers to what are the differences between generic and branded turf chemicals.
Use of pre-emergent herbicides. 11
The key to the successful use of turf chemicals such as pre-emergent herbicides is understanding their specific properties and behaviour in the soil. Failing to know how these work can lead to problems as shown in the image above. In the image above ryegrass has...
Weed ID Chart. 10
Weed ID Chart This is an easy-to-use weed ID chart that shows conditions favouring them and what herbicide products can be used for their successful control. More product information is available in our turf protection section. Herbicides are classified in...
Managing winter grass in turf. 9
Identification. Winter grass (Poa annua) is an annual having both perennial and biennial biotypes. It has a light green, generally tufted growth habit being easily identified by its seed head and having a boat-shaped leaf tip that curls up at the ends. Why is winter...
Echelon Duo. 8
Echelon® Duo: fertilizer + pre-emergent herbicide + insecticide. Echelon Duo is an Australian first in weed and insect control manufactured by Indigo Specialty. It is a combination of an NPK fertilizer coated with oxadiazon and thiamethoxam so with one application...
Turf pigment and paint 7
Turf managers commonly use turf pigment and paint for improving the appearance of sports turf areas. These are cheaper than oversowing, without the issues of removing an overseeded grass from warm-season turf. The use of pigments also occurs in fungicides for...
Turf fungicides: prevention or cure? 6
The case against using turf fungicides preventatively. Case 1: I am a heavy smoker, I smoke 20 cigarettes a day and weigh over 120kg with a BMI of 38. I don’t do any exercise. My favourite food is burgers and fries. As I am in the high-risk bracket for...
Using Light. 5
In April of 2021, Comm Bank Stadium became the first stadium to begin using light intelligently with the arrival of the first set of LED turf grow lights in Australia. SeeGrow LED grow light technology enables turf managers to have a climate-controlled environment...
Slow release fertilizers 4
Firstly, not all slow-release fertilizers are the same and each has its advantages and disadvantages. For example the picture above is of a low-quality prill (granule) of a sulphur coated urea (PCSCU) that is supposed to last up to 8 weeks. It has released everything...
Turf miticides 3
Not all turf miticides act the same and their effectiveness varies dramatically. The problem. As turf grass mites have very short life cycles of 10-14 days it means that damaging populations can rapidly develop under the right conditions. For more detailed information...
Magnesium fertilizers 2
Magnesium There is a widespread use of magnesium fertilizers in turf, since magnesium is the central atom of chlorophyll. Only a small proportion of the total magnesium is bound to chlorophyll (around 25%) and about 70% is relatively mobile being dissolved in plant...