What are Plant Growth Regulators?

We know many of you are always looking for ways to take your lawns to the next level. One way to do this is by using what the turf professionals use, Plant Growth Regulators. Used on golf courses and sports grounds across the world, Plant Growth Regulators known as PGRs, are now available in an economical size to use in your own back garden.

In this article we focus on the benefits of plant growth regulators, Primo Maxx by Syngenta specifically, that can help your lawn perform like stadium-quality turf.

What is a Plant Growth Regulator or PGR?

A PGR is an innovative solution that influences a plant’s growth and development.

Recent types of PGRs, such as Syngenta’s turf growth regulator Primo Maxx are formulated as a microemulsion concentrate that quickly enters the leaves and shoots before systemically moving throughout the entire plant.

Better looking lawns, faster:

• Reduces grass growth: reduced mowing.
• Less bare patches: improved aesthetic.
• Greener grass.
• The best-looking edges with less work.

Once absorbed, the active ingredient works to temporarily block the plant’s ability to produce a growth hormone called Gibberellic Acid. This suppresses the plant’s vertical growth while allowing normal processes like photosynthesis and respiration to continue.

Energy is diverted into the plant’s lateral growth, resulting in smaller and finer leaves, increased tillering, and a larger, deeper root mass. The turf becomes denser with a more vibrant colour.

Save water with PGRs

Regular PGR application ticks a lot of sustainability boxes, the biggest one being greener grass with less water requirements.

PGRs like Primo Maxx improve water management efficiency by encouraging the stomates (pores) of a plant to close for longer periods, which slows down the rate of water lost through transpiration.

Control growth and mow less

Slowing down turf growth also decreases the need to mow, which in turn reduces waste and makes maintenance practices far more sustainable. Applying Primo Maxx to turfgrass effectively holds back vertical grass growth within 3 to 4 weeks of initial application.

Stand up to turf stress and extreme heat

Increased temperatures add to turf stress in all situations, resulting in an undesirable loss of colour, turf density and quality.

Build a tougher lawn:

• Increased root density: drought resistance & improved lawn resilience
• Increased density: improved shade tolerance
• Increased durability: hardier under children and pet use

The main reason is that PGR applications like Primo Maxx increase the level of bioactive cytokinins in the plant, improving its tolerance to heat and drought-induced stress. This allows the turf to recover faster from drought effects, extreme heat, or stress from high traffic and heavy play.

PGR TIP:

The right application is always key to achieving good results with a PGR, so it’s important to track the growth rate of your turfgrass alongside the rate of PGR application. When using Primo Maxx for the first time leave an area to the side untreated so you can compare the results of your application.

What does Primo Maxx do?

Primo Maxx forces the grass to grow thicker instead of taller. The lateral stems become fuller as the colour of the lawn becomes a nicer shade of green. Your lawn will not only be lush and attractive, but it will also have what it needs to stay that way.

Primo Maxx Promotes deeper, stronger roots

Instead of using energy on growth, it uses it on creating healthier roots

Primo Maxx Improves water use efficiency

The grass makes the most of the water it receives, whether rain or irrigation, less water use

Primo Maxx helps turf tolerate shade

Shady areas naturally grow thin; Primo assist with this.

Primo Maxx creates stronger, denser turf

Stronger, denser turf resists wear and disease better and helps suppress weeds.

• Promotes denser, healthier turf that is better able to withstand a variety of stresses including heat, drought, diseases and traffic.
• Slows the production of gibberellic acid, a plant hormone that promotes cell elongation. Vertical shoot growth is slowed, while lateral and below-ground growth of rhizomes, stolons, tillers and roots is stimulated.
• Reduces mowing by up to 50%.
• Is claimed to suppress Winter grass growth.
• Cuts mowing in half, reduces seed head production, fertilizer use, watering and clipping yield, makes lawns look great with half the work or for less than 3 cents a square metre.