Better Quality sports turf with Premium Escott TURF Zeolite

Nutrient Efficiency Improvement

Sandy soils and pure sand profiles common in turf grass applications have a very low cation exchange capacity and are therefore not good at holding and making available key nutritional elements.

The free draining nature of the soils also leads to leaching of nutrients away from the root zones of the plants. Escott Turf Grade Zeolite prevents this by attracting nutrients with a high initial uptake and holding them because of its large cation exchange capacity, releasing them on plant demand. Turf Blend Escott Zeolite has a particular affinity to attract and hold ammonium (NH₄+) the key form of nitrogen that provides quality deep green leaf colour and potassium, calcium and magnesium.

Once included in the profile Escott Zeolite will recharge when fertilisers are applied and release nutrient as plants demand creating a smooth longer term availability of nutrients.

The typical approach to growing turf has been to apply high rates of fertiliser to overcome the losses due to leaching. This is both expensive and inefficient but with Escott Zeolite turf grades, permanent reductions in fertiliser application rates can achieve the same outcomes greatly reducing costs. Research concluded that fertiliser costs could be reduced by 67% to maintain turf quality.

Water Efficiency Improvement 

Premium Escott Turf Zeolite can be sized to specification to mix with sand and ensures that high amendment rates will not affect the hydraulic conductivity of soils nor will it lead to the accumulation of sodium when irrigated with poor quality bore water. *Handreck & Black Third Edition. Our zeolite is prized for turf around the world because of its unique hardness, so it won't crush in sand profiles and block drainage like softer zeolites can. 

RootZone International Laboratories - Sydney Environmental & Soil Laboratory 27-4-2005

Comment on Water Retention Curve Escott Zeolite Turf Grade:

The curve indicates three basis pore sizes, larger pores draining at 100 to 175mm, some smaller pores draining at 300mm and smallest pores not draining right up to 500mm of suction Such a pore size distribution is ideal for use in turf underlay and root zone mixes. The coarse pores draining at 100 - 175mm mean that the material not block or bind otherwise open sands at the usual height of root zone tables, about 300mm. Unlike a sand however, the fine pore space within each particle of zeolite will hold water right up to 500mm of tension. By comparison most pure sand table mixes are showing less than 4-5% water holding at 500mm, whereas this is holding 9-10%, about twice as much.

We can thus predict that the benefits of zeolite in a sand table will be:

• Increased water retention at the surface
• No risk of binding or blocking sand tables
• Improved nutrient holding via increased cation exchange capacity over sand
• The very low cation exchange capacity in sand tables is the major management issue impacting on the efficiency and timing of fertiliser use.

Permanent Amendment

An added benefit of Turf Blend Escott Zeolite is that unlike other soil amendments  it does not break down over time but remains in the soil to permanently improve nutrient and water retention.

And Escott Turf Zeolite is not acidic. In fact it is marginally alkaline and its use with fertilisers can help buffer soil pH levels thus reducing the need for lime applications.

Premium Turf Blend Escott Zeolite has been used successfully on golf courses, bowling greens and sports turfs around Australia for over 15 years and is exported around the world. Escott Turf Zeolite will improve the performance of your turf.

Rates

Premium Turf  Escott Zeolite is matched perfectly to sand soils, so it won’t change the hydraulic conductivity of sand profiles, even at high amendment rates.

• Cation exchange capacity of 120meq/100g
• pH of 7.6
• Specific Gravity 1.6 g/cc

Construction with zeolite

Incorporate at 5-10% of sand profile in the root zone of turf and greens

Renovation at Coring

As Premium Turf Grade Escott Zeolite does not break down over time, the CEC of sandy soils can be gradually improved by mixing with sand at coring. Mix zeolite at 10-20% with sand.

Top Dressing

Apply at 200g/m2 ( 2 tonnes per hectare)
The efficiency of NPK fertilisers can be increased by the inclusion of Premium Turf Grade Escott Zeolite at 10%-20%. Escott Zeolite will also remove ammonia odour from organic fertilisers. 

Research

In 1989 initial trials by the Frankston Turf Research Institute demonstrated the ability of of Escott Zeolite to increase soil CEC and retain valuable N & K. These trials showed the ability to significantly reduce fertiliser application rates in Escott Zeolite amended profiles.

In 1992 the Australian Turf Research Institute undertook construction research using Escott Zeolite at 5% and 10% incorporated to a depth of 100mm. These trials showed that CEC levels were able to be lifted per product specifications without any adverse effect on soil infiltration rates. Due to improved soil nutrient status in particular potassium, Escott Zeolite amended profiles were more resistant to fungal disease infections.

In 1993 trials at Northern Metropolitan College of TAFE in Melbourne showed significant improvement in turf root development in Escott Zeolite amended profiles. They produced a deeper and more dense feeder root system, irrespective of whether Escott Zeolite  was incorporated into the top, middle or whole of the profile. Today NMC TAFE uses Escott Zeolite in its standard teaching greens.

Research in 1993 by Turfgrass Technology showed a new turf construction incorporating Escott Zeolite had superior infiltration rates over other organic amendments (peat moss, fowl manure, pine bark) and improved soil potassium levels compared to all other amendments 

International Use

Zeolite Australia has exported our premium turf grades to Barbados for use on the Kensington Oval for the World Cup Cricket in 2007, to Thailand for the Lakes Golf Course at Blue Canyon and to the Fiji Marriott Golf Resort.