4 Years of WaterSOLV™ Results
Four years of steady WaterSOLV™ use has resulted in continued mitigation of previously persistent problems at Arizona Country Club in Phoenix, Arizona where Superintendent of 13 years Kirby Putt reports consistent mitigation of salts and reduction of water demand while vegetation flourishes even in the summer. From turf to wells to agriculture, WaterSOLV™ is challenging conventional water and soil treatment practices and solving problems perviously thought to be manageable at best.
HCT TURF Spotlight | Arizona Country Club
“When the Water is Right, Everything Else Just Falls into Place”
“We’ve been on The WaterSOLV™ Program for over 4 years. So my visual take on this product is that we see a uniform look to the property. The water is moving down through. We are seeing areas that used to be thin, as healthy and strong as everywhere else. I’ve been able to lower my fertility, I wouldn't say substantially but a minor reduction. Our sod replacement savings/budget has more than covered the cost of the program.
We have lowered our ET rates, so we are watering less. Typically Bermuda grass calls for about 70% of the evapo-transpiration rate to keep up with a nice green look. We have been running at about 60% so we are using around 7 or 8% less water. We don’t pay a lot for water but that would mean something for someone who does.
I’m not lowering (our ET rates) because it’s wet; it’s because the demand just doesn’t seem to be there. The turf is firmer, it’s more uniform and the water is moving down through which makes playability that much better.
And that is the ultimate goal for the golf course; to play fast and firm and have the aesthetic beauty of the grass for the players. That’s what we have seen. Getting more data is something Todd and I have talked about; getting hands on proof of what exactly has been going on.
The transitions have been exceptional and I think this is a piece of the puzzle; having water work for you.
And we can't really tell why and people want to know why. When the visual look is better, decidedly better, for the past 4+ years, we know that it's the new piece of the puzzle that we have added to our program. It’s not the key, but it is a component that really brings things together. When the water is right, just about everything else falls into place and WaterSOLV™ has been a big part of that.
We are watering with Salt River Project canal water. The fundamental word there is salt. So that’s what we are battling here. It’s moderate but it does build up, so with flushing techniques and the acid (WaterSOLV™ Curative) that we are putting in, and the biological stuff (WaterSOLV™ BC), we are just seeing good things happen with our turf. And that keeps me in a job.
I think anyone considering it, for the cost, it’s probably worth the risk. You have got to do something. If you're not dealing with your water you should be doing something. As Todd pointed out to me, the scale really is the key to this and I think we were probably doing some things backwards and probably hurting a lot of our stuff with sulfuric and some other things we were doing.
I am really one of the guys going out on a limb now saying I like this product, I promote it. People should check it out and do their own research, but it's working here and that's what's important to me.
I’ve been here for 13 years.
We do aerify. We do an 8-in deep tine and we do 3-4 centers in our ¾-in core removal. In the past the deep tine company would come in and tell us to deep water, soak it down so they could get penetration because the property is really difficult.
We do have caliche veins here and there but outside of that it was tough to get the penetration.
Over the last two years, especially the second year, we didn't do that. We just watered as we normally do the night before and just for precaution, I gave it an extra ten minutes just before they started.
In the past I would have given an extra hour to really help with that. And they were fine! Didn’t break any tines, walked through the property, got the depth they needed, and that is probably one of the things that we can say that something is happening in the soil.
To get that penetration without doing anything else to the property except adding that acid (WaterSOLV™ Curative), that’s a testimonial on the product in itself.
We are also on the WaterSOLV™ BC, the peroxide based product. We use half a PPM, very little. I’m not sure what it's doing in the soil but we know hydrogen peroxide is an oxygenator so to me, so the way my mind works is, why wouldn't I want to oxygenate things? So if it’s clearing out the gunk, and maybe some black layer or sulfur buildup and sulfides, that’s all good for me. I don’t have proof of that, but at half a PPM, a very little cost, it's a good thing adding that oxygenator.
We don't do core testing on the greens but that's a whole other philosophy of mine. We do hydroponic fertilizing, so I'm interested in the sand being there for drainage. It’s all on a seven day feeding program so I am not feeding the soil, I am feeding the plant. But the visual on the root structure and the density; it's all good.
It's everything you want to see in a plant.
HCT engaged with ISTRC to do some core analysis in our fourth year of the program. Other than the regular compaction reduction, the 14-year-old USGA sand-based greens are as good as brand new."
Kirby Putt, Superintendent
While issues are universal their causes are complex and specific. That's why we created our own soil and water testing matrix to create custom prescriptions for our customers that are aimed at solving the source of problems, and reducing the need not only for wetting agents, sulfuric acid, and manual aerification, but reducing the need for our chemistry as well. Most of our long term users are on maintenance programs using just 3-6 ppm of a custom blended chemistry injected directly into their irrigation system.
HCT's purpose and privilege is providing sustainable and cost effective solutions to the chronic problems that plague soil health in the world of water and agronomy. We consistently reduce water demand 15% and increase crop yields 20% and more. When you treat water ‘well’ with WaterSOLV™ you increase efficiency, decrease costs, increase yield and improve aeration. We can show you how to stabilize soil solubility just by treating your water.
HCT, LLC | info@hctllc.com (888) 788-5807
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WaterSOLV™ pHix™ & WaterSOLV™ Grow are trade names of HCT, LLC
