TOP DRESSING
SUSTÅNE PROGRAMME KEEPS RUSHMORE GOLF CLUB ‘ GREEN ’ IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE !
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W Rushmore Golf Club may be a tale of two halves , the approach to nutrition is wholly focussed on sustainability – with Course Manager Jaime Acton very proud of the six years that the greens have now been completely chemical-free . Alongside cultural practices and an overseeding programme , much of the success Jaime attributes to products from the Suståne range of organic fertilisers which have delivered outstanding plant health , strength and resilience .
With the county line between Wiltshire and Dorset cutting straight through the ancient estate within which Rushmore is situated , the course delivers mature parkland or a more modern challenge depending on which of the 18 holes you ’ re on ! The estate has sustainability at its heart , an ethos which Jaime and his team share and put into practice with the Suståne products . “ When I took over almost 10 years ago , I inherited quite a heavy feeding regime , largely based on synthetic fertilisers ” explains Jaime .
“ I had used formulations from Suståne in previous roles , and knowing what they could do , began ‘ weening ’ the greens away from the synthetic feeds and the additional chemicals this programme required , and onto a primarily organic regime .” Working closely alongside technical representatives from local distributor AGS , the Suståne programme has been refined over the years depending on the soil ’ s requirements – now consisting of 6-2-4 Turf Revival in the summer and 5-2-4 + Fe for feeds throughout the cooler months .
Suståne 6-2-4 is specifically formulated to provide the right nutrients to assist with postmaintenance recovery and plant stress . In addition to watersoluble and organic sources of Nitrogen , 6-2-4 features Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizae which has been enhancing the germination of Jaime ’ s bent overseeding programme . “ We apply 6-2-4 every six to eight weeks at 25g / m2 which tends to correlate with our overseeding work meaning the seed is sown straight into that nutrition . The plant is strong and resilient enough to cope with the pressures of that period , including disease , and specifically Anthracnose .”
Jaime continues , “ In the autumn and winter we continue the dormant feeding with Suståne 5-2-4 which keeps microbial levels up , allowing us to protect against disease rather than having to react to it . The small amount of Iron in this formulation also helps to give us good winter colour .”
“ While we haven ’ t used any herbicides or fungicides for six years , that ’ s not to say we haven ’ t had disease ! But what we do get we can manage by reducing the stress and encouraging the plant to grow again .” He concludes , “ With our Suståne programme , we are feeding the soil rather than the plant , getting the nutritional needs right from the ground up and allowing the plant to take everything it needs to remain strong and healthy .” www . sustane . com