PGR's or Plant Growth Regulators are used on many turf areas of the golf course. The primary reason for using PGR's is the obvious, to regulate the vertical growth of the turf. Besides the benefits of having the turf grow slower the PGR's allow the turf grow more horizontally with increased rhizome's and stolons creating a more dense playing surface on greens and fairways. Some of the other benefits of applying PGR's are as follows.
- A more vigorous turf plant
- Suppresses undesirable grasses so a more desirable grass has a
competitive edge
- Turf recovers from stress more quickly
- Reduced seed head production of Poa annua
- Reduced labor costs because of less mowing
- Faster and smother greens
- Reduced usage of water and fertilizer
- Tighter and denser fairways
- Increased root depth (this can be debated)
The overall decision on applying PGR's is a difficult decision weighing the cost of the product verses the amount of labor saved from mowing less frequently.
