Foliar

• Fast, linear nutrient delivery
• Gives the superintendent control
• More efficient than soil applications
  • Up to 95% efficient vs. 10 to 50%
• Bypasses soil tie-ups and losses
• Important in turf because of limited root systems
• Better delivery when soils are cold, wet and lack oxygen

Soild applied fertilizers are inefficient*

• Nitrogen – 20 to 60%
• Phosphorus – 10 to 30%
• Potassium – 25 to 60%
• Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur – 10 to 60%
• Micro-nutrients – 0 to 50%

Foliar feeding can be 95% efficient**

• They are generally 9 to 20 times more efficient than soil applied nutrients

 

*According to studies by the PPI (Phosphorus and Potash Institute), Univeristy of Iowa, The Fluid Journal and other university publications.

**According to radioisotope studies at Michigan State University and others.

• Bypasses tie-ups between nutrients like calcium, phosphates, iron, zinc.
• Avoids leaching, volatilization and conversion losses of nitrogen
• Eliminates competition between similar elements like sodium-potassium, calcium-magnesium, etc.
• Avoids fixation by soil clays, metal oxides and anions like bicarbonates and phosphates.

• Turfgrass roots are pathetic compared to other plants
• Turf soils are very low in CEC and are subject to high leaching
• Turf roots are weakened by lack of oxygen, diseases and nematodes

• Turf soils are notoriously lacking in  oxygen, which is absolutely necessary for  nutrient uptake
• Compaction reduces poor space
• Thatch accumulation clogs soil pores
• Bypasses soil tie-ups and losses
• Frequent irrigation and rains fill soil  pores with water and exclude air

• Spray volume and droplet size
• Drift control
• spreading and sticking
• pH
• Air temperature and time of day
• Stomatal opening
• Uptake enhancers
• Translocation agents

• All of the foliar product should stay on the leaf and not run off the foliage into the soil
• Best efficiency is at 25 to 50 gallons per acre (about 200 to 400 l/ha)l
• Spray droplets must be a fine mist
• Use covered sprayer or anti-drift agent (XACT) where needed

• Spray should wet the entire leaf surface on front and back of the leaf
• Surface tension needs to be broken to allow for penetration of cuticle and saturation of the sub stomatal chamber

• Waxy cuticle is really a set of waxy scales (under the microscope)
• Surface tension needs to be broken in order to keep the droplets from rolling off the leaf and to help them penetrate the cuticle
• Watch out for pure water. It has very high surface tension. Additional spreader/sticker may be advised
• Raider technology opens stomates

• pH extremes of over 8.0 or below 5.0 should be avoided.
• Optimum absorption of nutrients happens at 5.5 to 6.5 pH
• Adjust pH with FP 747 to appropriate pH of 6.0
• Dropping pH to 6.0 drives off most of the bicarbonates from the spray solution

• Air temperature should be at least 50 degrees F or 11 degrees C.
• Best absorption happens at warm but not hot temperatures
• Higher air humidity favors absorption too

• Optimum time to spray during the summer is in the early morning or late evening
• It is best to spray after dew removal to avoid dilution of the product
• During the cool season, it may be best to spray in the afternoon
• Allow at least 4 hours before rain or irrigation
• Some sticker products may allow for rainfastness

• 40-80% of the nutrient uptake occurs in the sub-stomatal chamber
• Raider opens stomates immediately and keeps them open for about an hour after application
• The silicon based spreader/sticker in Raider and Score are ideal for breaking the surface tension and allowing the product to flood the stomates
• Cells in the sub-stomatal chamber are very efficient at absorbing and translocating nutrients

• High purity leads to faster uptake
• Low burn potential
• No risk of toxicity
• Better compatibility