Foliar-Pak Matador is one of Jacob Blair’s favorite and most consistently used products. He’s currently the general manager/golf course superintendent at Oldham County Country Club and has used Matador for ten years at two courses. Here’s why.
Matador is Effective and Plays Well with Others
At his current course, Blair has push-up greens with clay underneath. He sprays a maintenance level of Matador every other week alongside a basic penetrant to keep water flowing smoothly in and out of the greens. Matador maintains the moisture balance, while the other product helps push moisture out, and both work together without issues.
“We have maybe five inches of good mix on top and straight clay underneath our push-up greens,” Blair said. “Matador does a great job of moving water through the greens and keeping the moisture balanced.”
He continued, “We apply Matador with a basic penetrant and do not have issues using it with the other product. Because Matador keeps the moisture balanced and the other product helps push moisture out, they play together well.”
Matador is Flexible
According to Blair, the rates for Matador can be flexible. The application rate can be adjusted depending on the circumstances.
“Matador is great because you can increase or decrease the rate,” Blair said. “We have a bunch of rain coming in this week. So, I sprayed it at a higher rate than I normally do to help it move more water.”
He added, “So, you can play with the rate, depending on the circumstance.”
Matador is Tank-Mix Friendly
Blair has used Matador in his tanks for the past decade without issues, even when mixing it with fungicides.
“One benefit of using Matador is it is tank-mix friendly,” Blair said. “Back a few years ago, when I was at another course, we would put down Matador with a fungicide and wouldn’t have any issues.”
Matador Helps with Labor
Over the years, Blair discovered that Matador reduces labor needs for hand watering, allowing his crew to focus on other tasks.
“Matador allows for less hose dragging because it helps equalize the moisture through the green instead of just pushing it right through the soil,” Blair said. “By reducing the need for hand watering, Matador has also kept our man hours down, allowing my crew to handle other tasks.”
