Biological Turf Restoration

There is a growing concern in the United Stares over the environmental and human health implications associated with heavy use of water, pesticides, and inorganic ferilizers in maintaining picture perfect golf courses. There is also a growing awareness that a beautiful course is not necessarily a healthy course. The following discussion reviews the interrelationship of turfgrass and the soil that supports it and provides basic information on currently available alternatives to turf management practices that feature intensive application of inorganic fertilizers. water and pesticides. Soil is a dynamic natural environment in which microorganisms play an important role. Soil contains a large mass of microorganisms which produce thousands of enzymes that can catalyze the transformation and degradation of many organic molecules. (In top soil under optimum conditions may contain 10 billion cells per gram of soil.). Turfgrass and the soil which supports it are interdependent. The natural organic cycle as applied to turf and soil begins with healthy vigorous grass plants storing up the sun's energy in green plant tissues as chemical energy. Animals obtain energy by eating plants and when plants and animals die, their wastes are returned to the soil and provide "food" for soil microorganisms. In the next step of the organic cycle soil microorganisms break down complex plant tissues into more basic forms and make the nutrients available to grass roots. Finally, growing plants extract the available nutrients from the soil. By free operation of this organic cycle, natural grasslands have some of the most fertile soils on earths.