A weather forecast of significant rainfall combined with warm, humid temperatures means only one thing for grounds managers – high disease pressure.
For Leicester Tigers Rugby Club Head Groundsman Ed Mowe, the question was how to maximise the efficacy of a fungicide application given the approaching conditions.
The answer was a tank mix of Dedicate and Tangent SDR from Headland Amenity – applied in a window of just 60 minutes with phenomenal results.
Assisting Ed with the maintenance at the Welford Road Stadium and Oval Park Training Ground is a team of two grounds-staff and an apprentice; with Headland’s Sports Turf Specialist Alex Hawkes on hand to provide advice on all things nutritional. “While we wouldn’t ordinarily gamble on spraying in a weather window as tight as literally one hour, we trusted Alex’s recommendation and it was a decision that paid off.
“We sprayed the Dedicate and Tangent SDR mix, it ‘stuck’ to the plant and we emerged from the extremely high-pressure period with a stadium pitch clear of disease. I have no doubt that without the inclusion of Tangent SDR, we would not have seen such impeccable protection.”
Applied in June, Tangent SDR is a natural spray additive that utilises the sticking effect of Terpineol to enhance spray retention on the grass leaf and improve uptake of the applied spray. “It has fantastic low dilution rates making it a cost-effective way of making applications rainfast to maximise results” comments Ed.
On this occasion, it was tank-mixed with Dedicate turf fungicide as a protectant against Fusarium Patch and Leaf Spot.
“We have also been using Tangent SDR with a plant growth regulator at our training ground which is frequently subject to strong winds. The ‘sticking’ effect has undoubtably helped us to save on chemical, and therefore money, there as well.”
