THATCHzyme™
“Managing a golf course that is 40 years old comes with its challenges, not the least being thatch. Finally seeing a product work on my course is something I never thought I would see in my career”
Tim Taagen
Country Club of the Rockies Superintendent
2022 Testing Program
Non-disruptive thatch maintenance has arrived
The future of thatch maintenance is biological
Managing organic matter (thatch) accumulation on golf courses is important to growing consistently great turf and maintaining desired playability. However, existing practices to manage thatch, such as core aeration, are labor-intensive, disruptive to playing surfaces, and lead to temporary course closures. Biological products to reduce thatch accumulation promise non-disruptive maintenance, but generally these products are poorly researched and their performance does not meet the needs of superintendents.
With THATCHzyme, we are creating a new standard in biological thatch maintenance. Our proprietary sprayable formulation is naturally derived from mushrooms and includes high performance thatch degrading enzymes and pre-biotics to activate native soil microbes. Instead of physically removing organic matter, we break it down in place to help create humus rich soil. Stop chasing organic matter accumulation and begin a sustainable treatment to maintain desired playability and turf performance.
2022 Field Test
The Country Club at Woodmoor (Woodmoor, CO) began weekly THATCHzyme treatments in the fall of 2021. The treated and untreated tees contained a mixture of bentgrass and Poa annua. Treatments were paused for winter and resumed the following spring for the full 2022 season. This case study demonstrates:
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THATCHzyme reduced thatch accumulation both visually and as measured by organic matter percentage (OM246)
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THATCHzyme reduced excess surface moisture by 28% (0-2 cm Moisture Content)
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THATCHzyme increased surface firmness by 8.6% (Spectrum Technologies Fieldscout Trufirm)
Five cores were sampled from both the untreated and treated areas at each time point. Cores were sliced with a knife and OM246 measurements were performed. The cores from the untreated area have visibly more undigested organic matter (thatch) in comparison to the THATCHzyme treated area.
The thatch layer is located near the surface and is best captured by analyzing soil samples at a depth of 0-2 cm. Thatch accumulation will result in an increased amount of organic matter. Our year-long study shows that organic matter continually increased in the 0-2 cm depth of the control plot, while it remained nearly constant in the THATCHzyme treated plot.
"We have been experimenting with ThatchZyme on a tee box for a couple of seasons now. Using the OM246 test method, we have seen that the treated turf has not shown any significant increase of organic matter in the top 2 cm, while the untreated turf has almost doubled over the same time period. I am excited about this product and look forward to using it on a larger scale in the future."
Kollin Vandersluis
Superintendent, The Country Club at Woodmoor
THATCHzyme Testing
We are partnering with leading academic researchers and visionary superintendents to demonstrate how THATCHzyme performs under real-world conditions.
We are following up on successful testing in Colorado with more expansive research trials at the University of Florida. Currently, we are expanding our 2023 testing program by adding golf courses from across the country, including Top 100 Courses.
Testing THATCHzyme is easy and free of charge. We recommend applying THATCHzyme at a rate of 8 ounces per 1000 ft² in 2 gallons of water weekly or biweekly. To evaluate efficacy, we include complimentary OM246 soil testing at regular intervals for both a treated and comparable untreated area. Upon request, we can perform additional measurements such as moisture content (Field Scout TDR 350) and firmness (Field Scout TruFirm). We welcome suggestions to improve our testing program or about designing a test to fit your needs. Participants will gain early access to our product launch and promotional deals.
For questions about testing, email us at info@thatchzyme.com.
Sign up today for the 2023 testing program to see how THATCHzyme performs on your course.
