Turfgrass Conditioner
Plant-Wise Biostimulant Company, Louisville, Kentucky, a relatively
new company formed in 1992, is marketing a novel product for
the turfgrass professional that is designed to improve turf quality
and vigor even under adverse conditions. Called 3D Concentrated
Plant Growth Supplement, the product's formula incorporates space
agricultural technology developed under NASA contract.
The lush green and fairway turf at Pennsylvania's Butter Valley
Golf Port is enhanced by 3D Concentrated Plant Growth Supplement.
3D, says the company, is a scientifically balanced blend of
fortified seaweed extracts, humic acid and plant nutrients designed
to supply turf plants with extra "insurance" to handle
stress-related problems and maximize their growth potential.
The "3D" refers to the product's three principal conditioning
characteristics: foliar enhancement, the main benefits of which
are improved color and aesthetic quality, reduced stress and
frost damage; physiological integrity, wherein the plant's biochemistry
is improved by formulation components that initiate cell division,
which helps the plant stimulate development of new leaves; and
foundation fortification, promoted by components that help the
plant generate new and deeper roots while retarding root senescence
(loss of vigor).
Field tested by Dr. Dick Schmidt, professor of turf ecology,
and his staff at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg,
Virginia, 3D won a solid endorsement. Dr. Schmidt reported: "With
the use of 3D, a balanced blend of biostimulant and iron, we
have demonstrated that turf quality can be enhanced by reducing
the influence of drought, increasing root development under adverse
conditions, and offsetting the infection of certain diseases
and nematodes.
The 3D formulation was developed by Dr. Richard R. Dedolph,
formerly a plant physiologist with Argonne National Laboratories
and Western Regional Research Laboratories, who also worked under
NASA contract as a project leader in research on plant cultural
systems for space application. The 3D development benefitted
from Dr. Dedolph's NASA-acquired expertise in research that explored
the potential of plants as food sources and recycling agents
in long duration spacecraft.
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