Out-and-out added value: Bentgrasses with Yellow Jacket Water Manager!

Finally! Barenbrug's bentgrasses are now also available with Yellow Jacket Water Manager, the world's first Seed Enhancement Technology that ensures the right moisture balance for both optimal germination and establishment. Patrick van den Beuken is responsible for quality assurance for SBA Golf & Groen's golf courses in the Netherlands and Belgium. He was closely involved in the first practical trials for this unique development. His first impression: “This absolutely adds value to your grass seed! I am very positively surprised about the incredible effects of this new seed treatment.”

Water management equals stress management

In addition to being a prerequisite for germination, water availability is also crucial for the development of young grass plants in the first months after germination. Water management equals stress management. In 2017, Barenbrug introduced a unique technology for optimising water management around seeds in the soil: Yellow Jacket Water Manager. The result: improved plant survival! The technique has now been developed far enough to treat bentgrasses as well.

 

At the forefront of innovation

Van den Beuken: "When I heard about the steps Barenbrug is taking in the field of seed treatment in combination with bentgrasses, I signed up for the practical trials. I am always looking for innovations and sustainable solutions that help us take the quality of our golf courses to an even higher level. SBA Golf & Groen maintains the Welschap golf course in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The grass portfolio on the greens consists mainly of Browntop bentgrass. It is an excellent location to gain experience. We already knew about the benefits of Yellow Jacket Water Manager, for example, because of the positive experiences in establishing the sward for The Links Valley golf course in Ermelo.”

 

 

"We already knew about the benefits of Yellow Jacket Water Manager, for example, because of the positive experiences in establishing the sward."

Patrick van den Beuken
Quality Assurance - SBA Golf & Groen

Guaranteed establishment

Yellow Jacket Water Manager was first applied on Bar Fescue, a 100% red fescue golf course mixture. Olaf Bos, Product Manager Turf Grasses at Barenbrug, explains: “Red fescue is often used for courses that aim for drier, harder greens. In these circumstances, performing overseeding successfully is often tricky. Many seeds do germinate when watered, but for red fescue courses, people often aim for a low moisture content and a sparse top layer. Freshly sprouted grass seed has a hard time in these circumstances and the young plants die off easily. It made sense to look for a solution here first, even though red fescue is a tricky seed to treat as a result of its physical properties. Practical trials at Utrechtse Golfclub De Pan showed that you can lose up to 50% of the young plants just like that, which means you are losing money. If you improve the moisture content control around the plants, you will hardly lose any plants. In other words, establishment guaranteed."

Bentgrasses are expensive, so you aim for a high overseeding yield.

Patrick van den Beuken
Quality Assurance - SBA Golf & Groen

Recognition

Patrick van den Beuken also recognises this problem for bentgrass greens: “Last year, after the blistering summer heat, but also early last spring in the rough easterly winds, drought damage occurred in several places on the green. The high heads, which often face the sun, lose grass coverage despite the use of wetting agents. When that happens, it is very difficult to establish grass on it again with overseeding. It often germinates, but then disappears again.” Bos adds: “You often see that greens dominated by Browntop bentgrass also have a low pH. This makes growing conditions even more challenging. These acidic sandy soils are also more water-repellent”. 

Van de Beuken is extremely passionate about his profession as a greenkeeper: “The drier spots, where the grass is difficult to return to, were a real eyesore. Last year, I overseeded some greens with Water Manager treated seed, and some with untreated seed. This spring, during the colder period, I did the same with the same batch of grass seed. The seed passed through the machine without any issues, despite being kept in the unconditioned shed throughout winter. I am particularly amazed at how effectively the turf was restored after overseeding with Yellow Jacket Water Manager.”

Major steps made in seed enhancement.

Patrick van den Beuken
Quality Assurance - SBA Golf & Groen

All bent grasses are available with Yellow Jacket Water Manager

Barenbrug offers both browntop- and creeping bentgrass enhanced with Yellow Jacket Water Manager. “When Barenbrug indicated that Bar All Bent – Yellow Jacket Water Manager was available, I immediately ordered grass seed from our regular supplier to overseed all our greens,” Van den Beuken says enthusiastically. Patrick, who is rather practical and down-to-earth: “Bentgrass is simply expensive seed. Failing to achieve the highest possible return on your overseeding is a waste of money. We already do this by using suitable machines, but we can do even better if we also help the grass seed to optimise the moisture content. I have noticed that the effectiveness of overseeding is increasing enormously. The bare patches as a result of drought are now closing up beautifully. The icing on the cake is that our grass seed mixture Bar All Bent contains Charles, a bentgrass variety. This variety tops the charts on the British STRI list. If the grass comes up perfectly, that's an extra bonus!”

Guaranteed establishment

Would you like to establish a dense, green sward as quickly as possible without any germination or grass establishment issues? Choose grass seed with Yellow Jacket Water Manager! Click on the button below for more information. 

Quality control first

In recent years, Barenbrug has invested heavily into guaranteeing top-quality seed treatment. Floor Drissen, responsible for the sale of sports & recreational grasses: “We built an advanced new Seed Enhancement laboratory in Nijmegen. We also expanded our researcher pool; Barenbrug is making great strides. The technology has now reached the stage where bentgrasses can also be treated with Yellow Jacket Water Manager". Drissen: “Bentgrasses are very fine seeds. Compared with red fescue, we are talking about 25x as many seeds per gram. This requires proper control of the seed treatment process. I am happy that we are now ready to add even more value to our bentgrasses!"

 

Bentgrasses with Yellow Jacket Water Manager

We offer three top mixtures with this seed treatment: Bar All Bent with 100% browntop bentgrass, including Charles. We also have Bar Duo Bent, 50/50 mix of browntop- and creeping bentgrass. And finally, Bar Trio Bent, the most disease-tolerant creeping bentgrass mixture on the market. Drissen proudly summarises: "In short, the most beautiful and strongest grass now comes with assured grass establishment!"

 

For over 100 years

The Royal Barenbrug Group is a family-owned business, the core activities of which are plant breeding, grass seed production and the international marketing of seed for turf and forage grasses and legumes. Barenbrug has been the leading grass seed business in the world for over 100 years.

The Royal Barenbrug Group is a family-owned business, the core activities of which are plant breeding, grass seed production and the international marketing of seed for turf and forage grasses and legumes. Barenbrug has been the leading grass seed business in the world for over...

The Royal Barenbrug Group is a family-owned business, the core activities of which are plant breeding, grass seed production and the international marketing of seed for turf and forage grasses and legumes. Barenbrug has been the leading grass seed business in the world for over 100 years.

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