Case Study: Athletic Fields

Sports Turf Maintenance

Ditch the Chemicals

Chemical inputs have long been the industry standard for maintaining the vitality of turf. However, concerns about the environmental and financial impact of these products has led turf managers toward microbial inputs. Inputs containing microorganisms promote turf growth while minimizing the use of fertilizers and pesticides — and help increase the population of helpful microorganisms in the living soil.

TerraMax has produced products that rely on the bacteria Azospirillum for more than 10 years. Using a unique, scientifically proven formulation technology, the Azospirillum in TerraMax’s TAZO® products have a much longer shelf live than other products containing the bacteria, surviving in the container for up to 2 years.

And turf managers across the U.S. have seen success with TerraMax products.

Scoring big at Chase Field in Phoenix

Grant Trenbeath, groundskeeper at Chase FieldHome to Major League Baseball team the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chase Field is plenty active throughout the season. In addition to home-run rallies and baseball games, the field hosts many other entertainment events that impact its turf, including motocross and monster truck shows.

In his 16th year as groundskeeper, Grant Trenbeath tends to the site’s natural grass, grown in a retractable-roof environment. Sunlight and the ability to grow natural grass in an indoor setting that sees high-end, high-activity are paramount concerns for Trenbeath.

Without the durability of outdoor stadiums and the inability to re-cooperate as fast, Trenbeath was looking for a product that would increase root mass and density while sustaining high wear and tear. Not familiar with Azospirillum-based products, Trenbeath’s interest was piqued by the product’s potential to increase root mass. Trenbeath began using TAZO®-B during the 2012 season and saw immediate success. He used it in his second season, applying it to the field once a month.

“Within the first year, there was a noticeable difference. The increase in root mass and density is night and day compared to what we had before — TAZO being the biggest contributing factor. I became a believer early on, and it is now part of my regular maintenance application.”

Add TAZO Azospirillum-based products to your turf maintenance program.