The makers of an enzyme system for thatch management that has been in limited production since it was first developed recently launched the product into its first full year of production.
The product now known as Thatch Zyme is a sprayable laccase enzyme-based thatch-management system that was initially developed by researchers at the University of Georgia and now marketed for sale by Colorado Springs-based ZymeCo.
Excess thatch can lead to slow water and nutrient uptake in turfgrass and contribute to issues such as soil water repellency and soft, spongy greens.
According to early studies at the University of Georgia, the reduction in thatch layer thickness by laccase treatments was similar to reductions achieved by cultural management. Thatch control was maximized, researchers wrote in published research, through a program of laccase (Thatch Zyme), cultural practices and a wetting agent.
Thatch Zyme is one of several products for the turf and agriculture markets offered by ZymeCo.
During trials conducted in 2021-23 at nine golf courses in Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Montana, Vermont and Wyoming, laccase helped decrease thatch buildup by an average of 15 percent across all sites, and by more than 26 percent at sites in Jackson Hole.
In a 2023 field study on golf turf in Colorado, biweekly treatments resulted in a 14 percent reduction in thatch during the golf season and increased root growth of 2 percent in a separate greenhouse study.
A similar trial on 20-year-old bentgrass/Poa annua greens in Maryland, resulted in improved rooting and a reduction in thatch buildup of nearly 19 percent.
