Fiata Stressgard® – The Top Choice for Quality Turf This Summer
With increasingly unpredictable summers, maintaining healthy, high-performance turf has become one of the biggest challenges facing greenkeepers today. Longer dry spells, higher temperatures, and increased foot traffic all put intense pressure on playing surfaces—right when demand for quality is at its seasonal peak.
Fiata Stressgard® is an innovative solution developed specifically to address the challenges of summer turf management. The state-of-the-art biostimulant supports overall turfgrass health by naturally enhancing colour and performance, while increasing resistance to both biotic and abiotic stress. As the various stresses of summer become more intense, it’s fast becoming the go-to solution for greenkeepers seeking to maintain resilient, high-quality turf.
Hayling Golf Club is one of the country’s premier links courses. Located on the South Coast, it features spectacular sea views across the Solent and Langstone Harbour. Course Manager, Graeme Roberts explains the turf management challenges the site presents:
“Retaining moisture is our biggest challenge in summer. The majority of the course sits on shingle, with the remainder on sand; so drainage is fantastic in winter, but it doesn’t take long for us to dry out, particularly when you add in the coastal wind.
“As a links course, the foot traffic from the volume of play we get is another challenge to counteract when maintaining turf health in summer.”
Summer turf care has traditionally focused on top-first, aesthetic fixes. But, as our climate changes, and with an eye on sustainability, things are shifting. Greenkeepers are prioritising the overall health of grass, and its resilience to stress, rather than just the appearance of turf.
Graeme describes how his summer turf care is evolving. “Things are changing in many ways, partly with the technology available today, with data collection, and a better understanding of how turf responds to cultural practices and products,” he says.
“Weather patterns are less predictable, so putting plant health first becomes even more important. If we keep the plant healthy, we can push it when needed for peak season or events, knowing it can handle this and recover.”
Alongside the challenges of extreme weather, sustainability has also become an increasingly important consideration in how turf is managed. Graeme reflects, “I was brought up on heathland golf courses where the high level presentation blends beautifully with the natural textures, colours and terrain of the land; and managing a course to enhance that contrast requires looking at what
you’re doing carefully. Combining this with resources that are becoming increasingly scarce and/or expensive means we no longer have the options or quantities to use products carelessly, without carefully considering the reasons and benefits behind their use.”
Making informed choices and refining practical turf care strategies is all part of the changing world for greenkeepers. Integrated programmes are coming to the fore, using a more holistic approach of cultural practices, targeted inputs, and data-driven decision-making. Rather than relying on reactive treatments, the priority is year-round plant health, and strategies that can help grass cope with stress during the challenging summer months. Graeme explains how this approach is applied at Hayling Island.
“We try to avoid too much disruption through the peak summer period,” he says. “The most we tend to do during this time, other than cut or roll, is a light dressing if we know stress on the plant isn’t going to get worse shortly after we do the work.
“A well put together wetting agent program is a must for us as our fairways can have as little as 50mm of soil before meeting the historic shingle the course sits on. Being exposed to the wind, spray windows can be challenging; so monitoring weather and forecasts is key.
“We are also limited by water,” Graeme continues. “The course has a lake that we extract from, but it’s shallow with a large surface area and we can lose a lot to evaporation in the peak summer months. Utilising our moisture meters to record data, and only applying water when necessary, allows us to maximise our resources, as well as provide better performing surfaces for the player.”
Remaining flexible to changing conditions is key to an integrated approach, Graeme explains how not being afraid to change things up with mowing plays its part. “If we know we’re going into periods of severe heat/ drought, we’ll back off on the frequency and height of cut on surfaces when we feel it will benefit the plant,” he explains. “Acquiring more knowledge in the cutting unit setup of mowers is also changing things. A better understanding of clip rate, bedknife angle and other factors like this has been an eye opener, seeing how they can have a great effect on the quality of cut, which will directly impact the quality of the surface, with less need for disruptive processes.”
Today’s greenkeepers are under growing pressure to balance performance with sustainability. As water, labour, and chemical inputs become more costly and regulated, every decision must deliver long-term value. Graeme explains why sustainability is hugely important for him.
“We’ve got to be calculated about how we use resources and make sure every application has a real benefit—not just for appearance, but for turf health,” he asserts.
“Golf courses are some of the most biodiverse plots of land in the country. As greenkeepers we are ambassadors and should do what we can to protect them; whether it be using our resources responsibly, or communicating our challenges to members and how they affect the conditioning of the course.”
Selecting products to enhance turf quality can be an exhaustive process. Where sustainable choices and the health of the plant are key, the reputation and expertise of a brand is increasingly important, alongside product benefits.
“The information behind a product is vital,” states Graeme. “Being able to read up on a product, how it works, and it being readily available are key. I also value the relationship with those who are selling or recommending it: good knowledge means we can discuss the ‘what’s and why’s’—that’s a big thing for me. I also look for longevity, particularly as things are more expensive nowadays. Knowing that you’ll get a good length of coverage or impact from a product is important,” Graeme concludes.
Fiata Stressgard® is built on Envu’s years of expertise in the turf care sector. It’s an innovation that aligns with greenkeepers’ changing mindset—helping them protect playing surfaces, more sustainably, with fewer inputs; while still meeting expectations for playability, appearance and the overall health of grass.
Fiata Stressgard® is the product of choice for turf management, especially in summer. By protecting and increasing chlorophyll, improving photosynthesis, and strengthening the plant's natural defences, it boosts overall turf health, enhancing resilience in high-traffic and exposed areas, and building resistance to stress.
The innovative solution is a combination of Potassium Phosphite—a proven biostimulant that’s known to improve plant defences and aid root and shoot development; and Stressgard®, Envu’s unique formulation containing plant health promoting compounds and turf specific pigments.
Fiata Stressgard® is designed with the changing needs of greenkeepers in mind. In the summer months, in periods of intense traffic, heat and drought, grass can be treated as often as required, either using Fiata Stressgard® alone, or as part of an integrated management programme alongside other products e.g. nutrition, wetting agents to treat hydrophobicity, or fungicides to control disease. Providing everything needed to produce richly-coloured, high-quality, resistant turf, it’s the all in one summer programme product for delivering immediate aesthetic improvements and long-term turf health.
An independent trial by the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) in 2024 confirmed the significant benefits of Fiata Stressgard® for enhancing resilience, colour, and quality during both irrigated and drought conditions. The study showed it improved turf's ability to survive and perform over a six-week drought period by boosting photosynthesis; outperforming untreated plots and those treated with pigment alone.
The trial also affirmed that combining Fiata Stressgard® with a growth regulator (trinexapac-ethyl) mitigates the potential negative effects typically associated with standalone applications; and that the product outperformed surfactants during drought, helping turf maintain performance and recover more quickly once the drought finished.
It should be noted that Fiata Stressgard® did not significantly impact volumetric water content (%VMC), highlighting that surfactants should still form part of a summer management programme for the prevention and treatment of hydrophobic soils.
Producing high performing, healthy turf during the stresses of summer is no longer an occasional problem—it’s a predictable challenge. The key to supporting grass in these conditions is building a proactive programme around turf health and its long-term resilience.
Summer turf stress on golf courses
Hayling Golf Club is one of the country’s premier links courses. Located on the South Coast, it features spectacular sea views across the Solent and Langstone Harbour. Course Manager, Graeme Roberts explains the turf management challenges the site presents:
“Retaining moisture is our biggest challenge in summer. The majority of the course sits on shingle, with the remainder on sand; so drainage is fantastic in winter, but it doesn’t take long for us to dry out, particularly when you add in the coastal wind.
“As a links course, the foot traffic from the volume of play we get is another challenge to counteract when maintaining turf health in summer.”
Adapting summer turf management
Summer turf care has traditionally focused on top-first, aesthetic fixes. But, as our climate changes, and with an eye on sustainability, things are shifting. Greenkeepers are prioritising the overall health of grass, and its resilience to stress, rather than just the appearance of turf.
Graeme describes how his summer turf care is evolving. “Things are changing in many ways, partly with the technology available today, with data collection, and a better understanding of how turf responds to cultural practices and products,” he says.
“Weather patterns are less predictable, so putting plant health first becomes even more important. If we keep the plant healthy, we can push it when needed for peak season or events, knowing it can handle this and recover.”
Alongside the challenges of extreme weather, sustainability has also become an increasingly important consideration in how turf is managed. Graeme reflects, “I was brought up on heathland golf courses where the high level presentation blends beautifully with the natural textures, colours and terrain of the land; and managing a course to enhance that contrast requires looking at what
you’re doing carefully. Combining this with resources that are becoming increasingly scarce and/or expensive means we no longer have the options or quantities to use products carelessly, without carefully considering the reasons and benefits behind their use.”
How integrated turf management can help
Making informed choices and refining practical turf care strategies is all part of the changing world for greenkeepers. Integrated programmes are coming to the fore, using a more holistic approach of cultural practices, targeted inputs, and data-driven decision-making. Rather than relying on reactive treatments, the priority is year-round plant health, and strategies that can help grass cope with stress during the challenging summer months. Graeme explains how this approach is applied at Hayling Island.
“We try to avoid too much disruption through the peak summer period,” he says. “The most we tend to do during this time, other than cut or roll, is a light dressing if we know stress on the plant isn’t going to get worse shortly after we do the work.
“A well put together wetting agent program is a must for us as our fairways can have as little as 50mm of soil before meeting the historic shingle the course sits on. Being exposed to the wind, spray windows can be challenging; so monitoring weather and forecasts is key.
“We are also limited by water,” Graeme continues. “The course has a lake that we extract from, but it’s shallow with a large surface area and we can lose a lot to evaporation in the peak summer months. Utilising our moisture meters to record data, and only applying water when necessary, allows us to maximise our resources, as well as provide better performing surfaces for the player.”
Remaining flexible to changing conditions is key to an integrated approach, Graeme explains how not being afraid to change things up with mowing plays its part. “If we know we’re going into periods of severe heat/ drought, we’ll back off on the frequency and height of cut on surfaces when we feel it will benefit the plant,” he explains. “Acquiring more knowledge in the cutting unit setup of mowers is also changing things. A better understanding of clip rate, bedknife angle and other factors like this has been an eye opener, seeing how they can have a great effect on the quality of cut, which will directly impact the quality of the surface, with less need for disruptive processes.”
Taking a more sustainable approach
Today’s greenkeepers are under growing pressure to balance performance with sustainability. As water, labour, and chemical inputs become more costly and regulated, every decision must deliver long-term value. Graeme explains why sustainability is hugely important for him.
“We’ve got to be calculated about how we use resources and make sure every application has a real benefit—not just for appearance, but for turf health,” he asserts.
“Golf courses are some of the most biodiverse plots of land in the country. As greenkeepers we are ambassadors and should do what we can to protect them; whether it be using our resources responsibly, or communicating our challenges to members and how they affect the conditioning of the course.”
How product selection is changing for greenkeepers
Selecting products to enhance turf quality can be an exhaustive process. Where sustainable choices and the health of the plant are key, the reputation and expertise of a brand is increasingly important, alongside product benefits.
“The information behind a product is vital,” states Graeme. “Being able to read up on a product, how it works, and it being readily available are key. I also value the relationship with those who are selling or recommending it: good knowledge means we can discuss the ‘what’s and why’s’—that’s a big thing for me. I also look for longevity, particularly as things are more expensive nowadays. Knowing that you’ll get a good length of coverage or impact from a product is important,” Graeme concludes.
Fiata Stressgard® is built on Envu’s years of expertise in the turf care sector. It’s an innovation that aligns with greenkeepers’ changing mindset—helping them protect playing surfaces, more sustainably, with fewer inputs; while still meeting expectations for playability, appearance and the overall health of grass.
Fiata Stressgard®: The smart way to tackle summer turf challenges
Fiata Stressgard® is the product of choice for turf management, especially in summer. By protecting and increasing chlorophyll, improving photosynthesis, and strengthening the plant's natural defences, it boosts overall turf health, enhancing resilience in high-traffic and exposed areas, and building resistance to stress.
The innovative solution is a combination of Potassium Phosphite—a proven biostimulant that’s known to improve plant defences and aid root and shoot development; and Stressgard®, Envu’s unique formulation containing plant health promoting compounds and turf specific pigments.
Fiata Stressgard® is designed with the changing needs of greenkeepers in mind. In the summer months, in periods of intense traffic, heat and drought, grass can be treated as often as required, either using Fiata Stressgard® alone, or as part of an integrated management programme alongside other products e.g. nutrition, wetting agents to treat hydrophobicity, or fungicides to control disease. Providing everything needed to produce richly-coloured, high-quality, resistant turf, it’s the all in one summer programme product for delivering immediate aesthetic improvements and long-term turf health.
Tried and tested success in trials
An independent trial by the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) in 2024 confirmed the significant benefits of Fiata Stressgard® for enhancing resilience, colour, and quality during both irrigated and drought conditions. The study showed it improved turf's ability to survive and perform over a six-week drought period by boosting photosynthesis; outperforming untreated plots and those treated with pigment alone.
The trial also affirmed that combining Fiata Stressgard® with a growth regulator (trinexapac-ethyl) mitigates the potential negative effects typically associated with standalone applications; and that the product outperformed surfactants during drought, helping turf maintain performance and recover more quickly once the drought finished.
It should be noted that Fiata Stressgard® did not significantly impact volumetric water content (%VMC), highlighting that surfactants should still form part of a summer management programme for the prevention and treatment of hydrophobic soils.
Protect your turf this summer - choose Fiata Stressgard®
Producing high performing, healthy turf during the stresses of summer is no longer an occasional problem—it’s a predictable challenge. The key to supporting grass in these conditions is building a proactive programme around turf health and its long-term resilience.
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