Natural Colour with TourTurf® GTP Green Turf Paint

TourTurf® GTP Green Turf Paint is a versatile colourant developed specifically for turfgrass to restore and maintain a natural, healthy appearance on discoloured or stressed turf. Depending on the mixing ratio, TourTurf® GTP delivers a natural colour with a slightly bluer tone than traditional green pigments. Applications of 1–3 l/ha help maintain visual quality during periods of heat, drought and high light intensity, while 1–2 l/ha effectively mask symptoms of disease and other stress-related discoloration. Formulated with phthalocyanine pigments, advanced stickers and proprietary dispersing agents, GTP provides excellent leaf coverage, long-lasting colour and good rainfastness. For creeping bentgrass, higher application rates provide the most uniform and natural-looking coverage. The following trials demonstrate the product's colour longevity and performance under practical field conditions.

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Why a trial?
  • We wanted to prove our claims through thorough experiments

  • To provide this material, two new trials were set up in April 2022

  • A grow room trial to investigate product longevity under intense light and possible protection from high light intensities

  • A field trial to investigate colour longevity in both wet and dry conditions

 
Grow Room Study
  • A strip of fairway turf was cut into small sections in preparation for treatment, giving at least three replicate turf patches per treatment

  • The following treatments were sprayed onto the turf surface to mimic real-world application methods:

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Treatment Application
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Turf was placed under grow lights to mimic high light intensities

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Drying Time
  • After 1 hour, a very small amount of paint came off the TourTurf® GTP treated turf and the competitor turf paint treated turf – results were very comparable

  • The small amount of paint that was removed, is likely to be due to over-spraying, rather than the product failing to dry

  • This is demonstrated by a second paper towel test slightly later, for which no colour was removed

 
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Increasing Light Intensity
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  • On day 2 after being placed under grow lights, the turfs were moved closer to the light source to try and induce plant injury

  • We were unable to show significantly plant injury – with artificial lights

 
Field Trial
  • The aim was to test how TourTurf® GTP performed when exposed to heavy rainfall, compared to when applied to dry turf

  • A section of fairway turf was selected to spray with a range of treatments

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  • The week commencing 04/04/22 brought a lot of wet weather at the trial site!

  • A small window of dry weather allowed trial plots to be sprayed

  • Half the trial plots were left exposed to the rain, and half were covered to compare longevity differences

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Trial Design
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Trial Plots After Heavy Rain
  • TourTurf® GTP appears to have good rain fastness, with very little colour removed from leaf blades after heavy rain

  • The product also appears to have dried on the leaf quickly, with very little paint visible after dabbing the surface with a white paper towel

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Paint Removal Test

A comparable amount of paint was removed from the surface between TourTurf® GTP and the competitor green turf paint.

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Trial Conclusions
  • From experience with the product, we anticipate the longevity of colour to be up to 3 months when grass is dormant

  • Longevity will be affected in typical use scenarios, with factors such as cutting shortening the staying power

  • Typically, we can expect 4 – 8 weeks of colour in real-world conditions

  • TourTurf® GTP is very comparable in performance – to an industry market leader

  • Drying time within 1–2 hours, depending on conditions (it will be faster under high light intensity)

  • TourTurf® GTP appears to hold colour well after heavy rainfall, and is expected to maintain colour for 1 – 3 months depending on growing conditions

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