[Sponsored Content] Editor-in-Chief Scott Hollister visits PBI-Gordon Laboratories to meet with Dr. Dale Sansone, Senior Director of Formulation Development for Compliance Chemistry, to learn about Atrimmec® plant growth regulators.
SH: Hello everyone. I’m Scott Hollister with Landscape Management Magazine. This morning we’re just outside of downtown Kansas City, Missouri with our friend Dr. Dale Sansone from PBI-Gordon. Dr. Dale is the Senior Director of Formulation and Compliance Chemistry at PBI-Gordon, and today he’s going to give us a tour of the lab and a deep dive into several of the products that PBI-Gordon markets. In this video, we’re going to discuss Atrimmec®, which is a plant growth regulator, also known as a plant growth regulator. I’ve been around plant growth regulators for a while, mostly for turfgrass, but the focus is a little bit different this time. Dr. Dale.
DS: Okay, thanks Scott. Atrimmec® has been in our portfolio for a while now. It’s a plant growth regulator, and for those of you who aren’t familiar with it, it’s a plant growth regulator that’s used as a companion product in the ornamental plant market. You apply Atrimmec® after you prune, and you’re extending the life of the plant that you’ve pruned, so you don’t have to prune again. It’s got a great formula, and it’s a water-based product. I’ve got a viewing tube here, and you can see that. Its distinctive blue-green color mixes very well in the can, so it’s very good as a companion product to the can in terms of mixing ability. The one thing that sets it apart from most plant growth regulators is that it’s odorless. It’s a water-based product, which is great for landscape management because you can spray it in high-traffic areas, buildings, offices. It doesn’t have the bad smell that you often get with plant growth regulators, and it’s a great formula. It has a few other benefits besides the chemical pinch I mentioned. It controls bad fruit, which is very important in landscaping. You can use it for bark tying. If you look at the label, there are instructions on how to do that. Another benefit over bark tying is that it’s a systemic product, so it can soak into the soil, soak into the plant, and still do its job well.
SH: You and your team often get questions about how to tank mix this product. As you mentioned earlier, this product can be tank mixed with some pesticides, and we have a visual demonstration tool that can show you here. Can you explain this to us?
DS: Everyone loves the magic of a stir plate. So I thought this would be a great demonstration. The timing of the Atrimmec® application is very well matched to the application of the insecticide. So we’re going to walk you through how to properly mix the Atrimmec® with the insecticide. There are more and more non-synthetic insecticides on the market and they usually come in wettable powder (WP) form. So when you’re formulating a spray, you need to add the WP first if needed to ensure adequate wetting. I’ve already measured out the appropriate WP and now I’m going to add the insecticide to it and you’ll see how well it mixes. It mixes very well. It’s very important to add the WP first so it mixes well with the water and wets it. It takes a little while, but with a little stirring it will start to dissolve. While you are mixing, I want to talk about the SDS, which is a very valuable document, which is in Section 9. If you look at the physical and chemical properties of the ingredients, it can help you determine if something is suitable for use in a spray tank. Look at the pH. If your pH is within two pH units of the tank mix, then the chances of success are very high. Okay, we have our mix. It looks good and it is uniform. The next thing to do is add the Atrimmec®, so you need to add the Atrimmec® and weigh it out in the right proportions. Like I said, look how easy it is. Your wettable powder is already wetted. It is uniformly distributed throughout. After that, I would say that adding a silicone surfactant can enhance the effect. For a plant growth regulator, this really helps you get the performance you want. This is very important if you are going to use bark tapes to control bad fruit, and you find the right mix. Your day is well planned and successful.
SH: That’s interesting. I’m sure a lot of turf care operators, when they think of this product, probably don’t think of that. They might just think of applying it straight away, without the mixing tank, but you’re really killing two birds with one stone by doing that. What has the feedback been like since this product came on the market a while back? What have you heard from turf care operators about this product and how are they incorporating it into their operations?
DS: If you go to our website, one of the biggest benefits is the labor savings. There is a calculator on the website that allows you to calculate how much you can save on labor based on your plan. We all know that labor is expensive. Another benefit, as I mentioned, is the smell, the ease of mixing, and the ease of use of the product. It is a water-based product. So overall, it is a good choice.
SH: Great. Of course, visit the PBI-Gordon website for more information. Dr. Dale, thank you for your time this morning. Thank you very much. Dr. Dale, this is Scott. Thank you for watching Landscape Management Television.
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Post time: Jun-04-2025