Snow Mold Has Met Its Max
By Pat Jones
Aramax™ Intrinsic® brand fungicide, a new disease control solution from BASF, performed well in real-world trials last winter, and superintendents are buzzing about ease of use and the low rate. In short, Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide is here, and it’s ready to help fight back against snow mold.
Aramax vs. Snow Mold
Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide is a new combination of pyraclostrobin (the active ingredient in Insignia® SC Intrinsic brand fungicide) and triticonazole (the active ingredient in Trinity® fungicide), two proven tools from the BASF turf products portfolio. The cool-season goal in introducing it now is to give superintendents an excellent snow mold weapon for fairways and greens as well as tees.
The Ph.D. Perspective
When Dr. Paul Koch of the University of Wisconsin talks about snow mold, superintendents up north stop and listen. I asked him to talk about how the product performed in his most recent trials.
“Aramax [Intrinsic brand fungicide] performed very well in our snow mold trials this past winter,” said Koch. “Our Marquette, Mich., location had significant disease with the non-treated plots averaging over 70% pink snow mold, but Aramax [Intrinsic brand fungicide] reduced disease severity by 86% at this location.”
Koch says Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide is particularly well-designed for gray snow mold. “So, when a fungicide like iprodione or fludioxonil was added specifically targeting pink snow mold to enhance the breadth of control, there was almost no disease present. Triticonazole is a really effective chemical against Typhula fungi.”
Real-World Results
We talked to superintendents in some of the toughest snow mold regions who tried Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide last fall. Here’s what they had to say.
Brian Hawkes, Golf Club of New England, New Hampshire
“I was interested in trying Aramax [Intrinsic brand fungicide] because I’m always down for checking out new improvements and new products,” says Brian Hawkes, who’s overseen the Golf Club of New England in coastal New Hampshire for more than four years now. For this trial, Hawkes sprayed 2.5 gallons of Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide across four fairways. His winter was “mild but wet.” Yet, snow mold was still prevalent.
“We didn’t see any breakouts on those fairways, and they bounced back a little quicker than other fairways and greened up nicely,” said Hawkes. “So, no disease problems and it came out pretty cleanly.”
Now he’s interested in trying more Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide under regular season conditions. “I do a lot of rotation and usually spray fairways every 21 days,” says Hawkes. “I can definitely see this being part of my regular rotation.”
Andrew Updegrove, Baker Hill Golf Club, New Hampshire
In just a couple of years at Baker Hill, Andrew Updegrove has learned that snow mold control is mission-critical in New Hampshire. He did his overall application, including test areas for Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide, in early November. What did he learn?
“We had absolutely zero breakthrough. I didn’t see any adverse effects on rooting, and we had nice, even spring green-up. I was very impressed.”
Updegrove also found it was easier to use. “The other thing I loved is the low rate. Typically for snow mold you’re putting gallons of different stuff in the mix, you get kind of a foamy tank, and it’s a mess. Aramax [Intrinsic brand fungicide] goes in at 1 oz/1000 sq ft so it’s way easier to mix and use.”
Ian Gallagher, The Mayfield Sand Ridge Club, Northern Ohio
When we asked Ian Gallagher how he felt about testing Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide, he was enthusiastic: “I welcomed it. I’d had experience with both Insignia SC [Intrinsic brand fungicide] and Trinity [fungicide] and thought, ‘This is a damn bazooka to put those two together.’”
Gallagher also said the timing is excellent. “I felt like it’s an interesting combination to have, and it’s good to have new options coming for snow mold because of regulatory pressure on PCNB, chlorothalonil and other traditional treatments.”
The simplicity of Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide is a big attraction for him. “The 1-ounce use rate is really nice versus five or six times that much for generics. There’s less product to deal with and the broad spectrum control you get from Aramax [Intrinsic brand fungicide] is really nice going into the next year.”
So how did it work for him in the trial? “I didn’t see any breakthrough with Aramax [Intrinsic brand fungicide]. It works. There’s no doubt it works.”
Vince Dodge, Nemadji Golf Course, Superior, Wisconsin
Snow mold is typically a big deal at Wisconsin’s Nemadji Golf Course, which lies at the western tip of Lake Superior. “The snow will stay around December through mid-March so there’s usually plenty of pressure.”
Like many up north, Dodge doesn’t have a standard go-to mix for fairways. “I’ll try a combination of at least four actives, usually one name brand product along with two or three generics depending on what I still have on the shelf,” he said. He also likes to add some pigment to the mix to encourage quick warm up and get some darker green color in and out of spring.
So, what do his decades of experience battling this problem tell him about the potential for the new BASF combo? “I think Aramax [Intrinsic brand fungicide] would actually be a very effective snow mold control up here.”
Craig Moore, Marquette Golf Club, Marquette, Michigan
Craig Moore, Marquette Golf Club, Marquette, Michigan
“This was a mild winter…I never even put my snowshoes on,” says Craig Moore, a cold-weather veteran from Marquette Golf Club in northern Michigan. “But we did have seven weeks of snow cover, and we had some really good snow mold pressure on the course and on Dr. Koch’s snow mold plots here. The control plots were annihilated with pink snow mold!”
What was his testing approach? “I used one complete tank [of Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide] on fairways and juiced it up with some PCNB – because we need at least three actives to make it work – and it looked as good if not better than the fairways treated with five actives,” said Moore.
He also puts the low use rate into perspective. “The one thing is the low use rate. When you’re putting snow mold products out in winter, it’s not warm. Your hands are cold and if there are fewer jugs to handle and to clean out, it’s way, way better.” Moore says he normally needs to have a heater out to warm the jugs enough to even clean them. Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide makes those logistics much simpler.
The Final Word
Andy Morris, a veteran turf pro who now supports BASF customers and distributors throughout much of the central snow mold zone, was impressed with the results superintendents achieved during the trials.
“Superintendents who deal with snow mold know the challenges this pathogen creates,” said Morris. “Snow Mold may be one of the toughest diseases to time for application and the simplicity of this product should make that easier. Superintendents who tried it obviously like the low use rate and the effectiveness of this new formulation.”
Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide now has field-proven performance backed by BASF. “We have a snow mold assurance program to stand behind Aramax [Intrinsic brand fungicide] and give customers that much more confidence in the product,” said Morris.
