Way back in 1974 Muhammad Ali beat hard punching George Foreman using a defensive strategy famous trainer Angelo Dundee described and was later named "Rope a Dope." The idea was that Ali could cover up defensively while Mr. Foreman tired himself throwing unconnecting punches in early rounds. The plan worked perfectly as opportunistic Ali knocked out an exhausted Foreman in the eighth round.
Although not quite the same as the "Rumble in The Jungle," we are employing defensive strategies maintaining the golf course as advised by United States Golf Association Agronomist and good friend Stanley Zontek. (His July 2010 article is presented below.)
The summer heat, humidity and now four days of wet weather continues to throw punches at turfgrass, and we are using defensive-like Rope a Dope strategy to absorb the blows and produce a winning golf course.
During a twenty eight day stretch of late July into late August, the golf course saw only .28" of natural rainfall. This was one of the driest stretches of weather I have ever observed during my career in golf. Then, shocked that the raindances were actually answered, we had four days of constant wet weather from Sunday until Wednesday where we received 1.83".
A heavy disease punch landed during the last few days. Disease anthracnose came on very strong during the wet spell, especially on the 13th green. Between raindrops, affected greens have been sprayed five times this week and have already improved. The most disease laden greens (1,8,13) were spiked this week to get air into soil profiles. All remaining greens will be spiked before late next week. Also, heights of cut were raised .010" (ten thousandths of an inch) on all greens today, because of a very hot forecast for the next two weeks. They will be lowered again once the summer of 2010 tires a bit, like Mr. Foreman in 1974.
Tidbits.....Always replace any substantial divots as opposed to using the sand mixture! If your divot disintegrates, only then use the seed and sand mixture to repair your divot. Also, the seed in the bottles is appropriate for low grown fairway turfgrass only! DO NOT USE SEED BOTTLES IN THE ROUGH....Thank you....Repair your ballmark plus one other....Pumped 13.7 million gallons for irrigation to date.....Pond is again full....we have only purchased 125,000 gallons of water from the city of Warwick during our hot summer at a cost of $ 400....
Once again, here is Mr. Stanley Zontek's article written to Superintendents and golfers:
The summer of 2010 is on a pace to break all temperature records in most of the Mid-Atlantic region. As of today, the month of June was the warmest in history for Philadelphia. The Washington, D.C. area has had forty days of 90+ degree temperatures and we are still in July.
The agronomists of the Mid-Atlantic Region believe it is necessary and appropriate to send special letters to USGA member courses on “defensive maintenance and management programs” as long as these weather extremes continue. Obviously, extra care must be taken to pamper the grass through this difficult weather. Equally, extra understanding from golfers can help achieve that goal. It is a common problem for everyone. If we all work together and do what is best for the grass, the summer of 2010 will one day be nothing more than just a bad memory.
This letter also will be sent to golf associations and regional golf course superintendent organizations. In this way, information can be made available to all golf courses, whether or not they are USGA members (and we hope most are).
The letter follows:
WEATHER ALERT & TURF LOSS ADVISORY
Periodically, the agronomists of the Mid-Atlantic region send letters to USGA member courses pertaining to extraordinary weather conditions and turf-loss-related matters. The weather experienced during the summer of 2010 has prompted this letter.
Our goal is to alert golfers and turf managers alike that this extended period of heat and drought -- followed by heat, humidity and thunderstorms -- has caused and probably will continue to cause turf stress and turf loss problems throughout the region. No two golf courses are alike, having different grasses, soils, course features and golfer expectations. It is important that golf course superintendents use “defensive golf course maintenance and management programs.” That is, be conservative. Pamper the grass. The turfgrass is under intense weather stress, which is compounded by an increase in disease pressure. Be more concerned about plant health than green speed!!! There is an old adage in our industry -- “slow grass is better than no grass.” This is not a joke. It needs to be taken seriously.
Suggested “defensive” management programs include:
•Compress spray programs. With heat, humidity and thunderstorms, fungicides do not last as long and disease pressure is greater. There is no better money spent than to protect the grass from disease.
•Raise mowing heights and use sharp mowers. This can help the grass survive.
•Mow less…roll more. The goal is to reduce mechanical stress to the grass plant.
•Switch from grooved rollers to solid rollers, and protect collars from the turning of mowers.
•Spoonfeed the grass. Spray weekly with light rates of nutrients, iron (to keep the grass green), and growth regulators. Excessive grass growth depletes carbohydrates (plant food).
•Air drainage. On shaded or pocketed greens, prune limbs, use fans and generally keep the air moving. When you are hot, you stand in front of a fan to cool yourself. When the grass is stressed, it needs good air movement as well. Drier turf is also less prone to disease.
•DO NOT OVER-WATER. Hand water if possible. Lightly syringe the turf with the nozzle -- never going past horizontal. Any mid-day watering should be focused on cooling the canopy. If you are wetting the soil, it’s too much! Remember, you can always add more water, but wet, saturated soil can damage roots, increase disease and contribute to turf loss via the Wet Wilt Syndrome. If corrective watering needs to be done for dry spots, the extra water should be applied in the early morning or late in the evening. Do not over-water the grass in mid-day heat.
•Surface aerate the greens. This allows the soil to breath, excess moisture to escape, and roots to regrow, thereby helping the grass to survive.
In summary, be careful. This may be one of our hottest summers in decades. We all share the responsibility of keeping the turf on our golf courses as healthy as possible during this period of extreme weather. Again, be careful and have realistic expectations for golf course playability.
The Mid-Atlantic Region agronomists are part of your agronomic support team. If you have a question or concern, give us a call or send an e-mail.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
Please pass the rain....
Our wonderful summer continues...
Please refer to an article written by John Paul Newport for the August 7th Wall Street Journal about the difficulty of maintaining golf courses during the hot summer of 2010. You can find the link in my "links" section on the right of the blog.
Our golf course is drying down after nineteen rainless days, with no rain in the forecast at least until early next week. Rough turf that are dormant haven't been irrigated due to either a lack of coverage from the irrigation system, or because we are not running rough heads to save water.
Fairways have three irrigation heads evenly distributed across their widths. In most cases, there is a single irrigation head in the center of the fairway, with the other two heads located in the rough. Even though two thirds of fairway irrigation heads are placed in the rough, the responsibility of all three heads working together is to irrigate fairway turf. Turfgrasses in the rough require more water than fairways, and providing adequate water to maintain thick and lush roughs would cause a myriad of problems for fairways, in that they would be overwatered. The problems include increased disease pressure, poor playability, inconsistency within individual fairways, and increased water requirements. To quickly summarize, the irrigation system irrigates fairways as designed, and provides a quantity of water to roughs, even though in a drought year like 2010, it isn't enough.
Dormant turfgrass in the rough will quickly recover after rains and cooler weather. (Mr. Stevens advised his eastern Golf Course Superintendent clients today that the second half of August will provide needed rainfall to aid rough recovery)
Green edges were overseeded as described previously on August 3rd. As there are four million bentgrass seeds in a pound, the seventy five pounds of seed we used represent 300 million potential new bentgrass plants. Unfortunately, asking a single bentgrass seed to germinate into an existing green is a most difficult proposition for many reasons we won't discuss here. If even 0.5% (half of 1%) of the seeds germinate, this would mean 1.5 million new bentgrass plants will be present into the perimeters of the greens....and success!!
We will continue to install seed into thin green edges beginning next week. This will be a more concentrated operation using small hand spikers, salt shakers to apply seed and a light application of sand. Since the germination rate is low, persistence will help to establish more plants. Small areas completely void of turf will be sodded in a few weeks.
Notes......We have treated all fine turf areas and some rough areas with an insecticide to prevent turfgrass damage from grubs. Areas with irrigation were watered in; we are worried about failures to areas without irrigation because this material needs to be placed into soil with irrigation or rainfall. We will keep you posted.....Greens and tees were treated with a fungicide to prevent diseases today. (Friday)....Minor outbreak of disease anthracnose is present on two greens this morning, we will continue to monitor and treat accordingly....Irrigation gallons now exceeds 12,500,000 for the season....Dry areas of fairways are being hand watered because my big hose will always be the most efficient method to apply water where it is needed most!!
On a personal note, son Benjamin and wife Laura are the proud parents of Violet Caterson Shields, born in Los Angeles on July 14th. Granddad Patrick can be seen many days sneaking peeks at pictures of Violet on his phone while he drives from green to green this summer....
Please refer to an article written by John Paul Newport for the August 7th Wall Street Journal about the difficulty of maintaining golf courses during the hot summer of 2010. You can find the link in my "links" section on the right of the blog.
Our golf course is drying down after nineteen rainless days, with no rain in the forecast at least until early next week. Rough turf that are dormant haven't been irrigated due to either a lack of coverage from the irrigation system, or because we are not running rough heads to save water.
Fairways have three irrigation heads evenly distributed across their widths. In most cases, there is a single irrigation head in the center of the fairway, with the other two heads located in the rough. Even though two thirds of fairway irrigation heads are placed in the rough, the responsibility of all three heads working together is to irrigate fairway turf. Turfgrasses in the rough require more water than fairways, and providing adequate water to maintain thick and lush roughs would cause a myriad of problems for fairways, in that they would be overwatered. The problems include increased disease pressure, poor playability, inconsistency within individual fairways, and increased water requirements. To quickly summarize, the irrigation system irrigates fairways as designed, and provides a quantity of water to roughs, even though in a drought year like 2010, it isn't enough.
Dormant turfgrass in the rough will quickly recover after rains and cooler weather. (Mr. Stevens advised his eastern Golf Course Superintendent clients today that the second half of August will provide needed rainfall to aid rough recovery)
Green edges were overseeded as described previously on August 3rd. As there are four million bentgrass seeds in a pound, the seventy five pounds of seed we used represent 300 million potential new bentgrass plants. Unfortunately, asking a single bentgrass seed to germinate into an existing green is a most difficult proposition for many reasons we won't discuss here. If even 0.5% (half of 1%) of the seeds germinate, this would mean 1.5 million new bentgrass plants will be present into the perimeters of the greens....and success!!
We will continue to install seed into thin green edges beginning next week. This will be a more concentrated operation using small hand spikers, salt shakers to apply seed and a light application of sand. Since the germination rate is low, persistence will help to establish more plants. Small areas completely void of turf will be sodded in a few weeks.
Notes......We have treated all fine turf areas and some rough areas with an insecticide to prevent turfgrass damage from grubs. Areas with irrigation were watered in; we are worried about failures to areas without irrigation because this material needs to be placed into soil with irrigation or rainfall. We will keep you posted.....Greens and tees were treated with a fungicide to prevent diseases today. (Friday)....Minor outbreak of disease anthracnose is present on two greens this morning, we will continue to monitor and treat accordingly....Irrigation gallons now exceeds 12,500,000 for the season....Dry areas of fairways are being hand watered because my big hose will always be the most efficient method to apply water where it is needed most!!
On a personal note, son Benjamin and wife Laura are the proud parents of Violet Caterson Shields, born in Los Angeles on July 14th. Granddad Patrick can be seen many days sneaking peeks at pictures of Violet on his phone while he drives from green to green this summer....
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Green Edge Seeding, and Dark Green Greens are Coming
GREEN EDGE SEEDING
After two relatively tame summers during 2008 and 2009, the summer of 2010 will be remembered by turf managers. Heat, and humidity have been relentless and have taken their toll on turf. Some areas of the country have seen excessive rainfall which has the affect of cooking turfgrass. Golf courses, especially in the Midwest and through the Washington DC to Boston corridor have been under severe stress since June. We have heard of golf courses that closed during the last few weeks so crews can re-establish turfgrass on severely injured sites. My heart goes out to fellow Superintendents, their staffs and frustrated members who have been affected by severe weather and damaged turf.
While we remain in decent shape, green edges have been damaged by nematodes. When heat and humidity are increased, biological activity also increases. This activity takes the form of insect population booms, higher incidence (and damage) caused by numerous turfgrass diseases, and a spike in nematode populations. Add to the equation the presence of weak Poa annua turf, weakening root systems, and being trampled by mowers, maintenance workers and happy golfers desiring fast green speeds, and you may begin to see how turf can be negatively impacted.
Next week, we will seed damaged green edges with creeping bentgrass seed using a specialized seeder. With these areas weakened, there will be less competition for new seedlings after they germinate, increasing the likelihood of a successful seed catch. Also, grass seed germinates fastest when soil temperatures are warm; they won't be any warmer after the temperatures we have seen the last thirty days or so. This process is non invasive to golfers, yet the benefits of increasing populations of creeping bentgrass to green edges will hopefully be seen next year.
Establishing creeping bentgrass plants is the best method available to eliminate damage from nematodes. Nematodes prefer weak Poa annua plants that heavily populate the green edges that were damaged this season. Changing the grass type present will help these areas to be stronger in the future.
DARK GREEN GREENS
During the next day or two, we will apply the environmentally friendly material Civitas to our greens to fight potentially devastating turf disease anthracnose. This application takes the place of a pesticide application. As a part of this application, a heavy green colorant is added according to manufacturer's (and Environmental Protection Agency) direction. Therefore, greens will have a dark green look for four to seven days after the application.
POND LEVEL
We have maintained higher water levels in our irrigation pond this season. Knowing in advance (thanks to the Meteorologist to Golf Course Superintendents Mr. Stevens) that 2010 was going to be a warmer summer than average, efficient water management became an important goal. In a 24 hour period during an extended hot and dry spell, we use 250,000 to 280,000 gallons of water. During the same 24 hours, the well that provides water to the pond provides around 180,000 gallons. As you can see, water deficits occur because irrigation use can exceed our supply. Town water is available to us if our supply becomes low, but at significant cost. Therefore, we have tried to hold as much water as possible this summer, to keep us from tapping into expensive Warwick water. Also, we have been able to enjoy the enterprising koi fish explore a new food source this summer.....the rough on 17!!
Tidbits.....July 2010 will be the warmest July at Potowomut since 2005, with high temperatures averaging 87.49 degrees since June 24th...We may also break our record for plant water loss in July because of the heat.....We have used 9.5 million gallons for irrigation to date, double the amount we used last year to date....
Please thank my wonderful crew for a job well done, they are excellent!!
After two relatively tame summers during 2008 and 2009, the summer of 2010 will be remembered by turf managers. Heat, and humidity have been relentless and have taken their toll on turf. Some areas of the country have seen excessive rainfall which has the affect of cooking turfgrass. Golf courses, especially in the Midwest and through the Washington DC to Boston corridor have been under severe stress since June. We have heard of golf courses that closed during the last few weeks so crews can re-establish turfgrass on severely injured sites. My heart goes out to fellow Superintendents, their staffs and frustrated members who have been affected by severe weather and damaged turf.
While we remain in decent shape, green edges have been damaged by nematodes. When heat and humidity are increased, biological activity also increases. This activity takes the form of insect population booms, higher incidence (and damage) caused by numerous turfgrass diseases, and a spike in nematode populations. Add to the equation the presence of weak Poa annua turf, weakening root systems, and being trampled by mowers, maintenance workers and happy golfers desiring fast green speeds, and you may begin to see how turf can be negatively impacted.
Next week, we will seed damaged green edges with creeping bentgrass seed using a specialized seeder. With these areas weakened, there will be less competition for new seedlings after they germinate, increasing the likelihood of a successful seed catch. Also, grass seed germinates fastest when soil temperatures are warm; they won't be any warmer after the temperatures we have seen the last thirty days or so. This process is non invasive to golfers, yet the benefits of increasing populations of creeping bentgrass to green edges will hopefully be seen next year.
Establishing creeping bentgrass plants is the best method available to eliminate damage from nematodes. Nematodes prefer weak Poa annua plants that heavily populate the green edges that were damaged this season. Changing the grass type present will help these areas to be stronger in the future.
DARK GREEN GREENS
During the next day or two, we will apply the environmentally friendly material Civitas to our greens to fight potentially devastating turf disease anthracnose. This application takes the place of a pesticide application. As a part of this application, a heavy green colorant is added according to manufacturer's (and Environmental Protection Agency) direction. Therefore, greens will have a dark green look for four to seven days after the application.
POND LEVEL
We have maintained higher water levels in our irrigation pond this season. Knowing in advance (thanks to the Meteorologist to Golf Course Superintendents Mr. Stevens) that 2010 was going to be a warmer summer than average, efficient water management became an important goal. In a 24 hour period during an extended hot and dry spell, we use 250,000 to 280,000 gallons of water. During the same 24 hours, the well that provides water to the pond provides around 180,000 gallons. As you can see, water deficits occur because irrigation use can exceed our supply. Town water is available to us if our supply becomes low, but at significant cost. Therefore, we have tried to hold as much water as possible this summer, to keep us from tapping into expensive Warwick water. Also, we have been able to enjoy the enterprising koi fish explore a new food source this summer.....the rough on 17!!
Tidbits.....July 2010 will be the warmest July at Potowomut since 2005, with high temperatures averaging 87.49 degrees since June 24th...We may also break our record for plant water loss in July because of the heat.....We have used 9.5 million gallons for irrigation to date, double the amount we used last year to date....
Please thank my wonderful crew for a job well done, they are excellent!!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Bentgrass is good, Poa annua is bad
Greens have continued to excel, despite high populations of nematodes along greens' edges. Nematodes are not moving into centers of greens where the percentage of bentgrass is higher. Because these turf root munchers are content to stay in the edges, we are back to managing the greens as before nematodes were discovered.
Growth regulator (Primo) has again been applied, and mowers have been lowered .010 (ten thousandths of an inch) and will remain at this height into September. Greens' speed and quality has already improved as of Friday morning.
The summer of 2010 will be remembered by turf managers. Many golf courses are struggling with a host of issues nationally because of hot, dry and humid weather. I have heard of numerous outbreaks of different diseases, insect and nematode damage and even bacteriological problems that are unsolvable with pesticides. Once again, we are shown that Mother Nature is truly in charge of our turfgrass. However, we tilt the balance toward success by proper spring and fall aeration, tree and shade management, intelligent use of irrigation including hand watering, natural organic fertilizer use and keeping pest populations controlled through chemical management.
Another important factor in maintaining success I discussed in my last blog posting, proper species. In the July 8th posting, I wrote about Poa annua being the grass mostly affected by nematodes. If our greens were 100% Poa annua, it is safe to say that greens would be in big trouble from nematode damage (or any of the above listed problems) this summer. For this reason, we discourage Poa annua from further proliferation into our greens, and we encourage bentgrass to spread twelve months a year. You could call these ideas the centerpieces of our maintenance programs.
Our extremely successful divot program on fairways is also in place to keep Poa annua away. (Thanks to you all for helping us here!!) The seed placed in the bottles is a combination 70% Chewings Fescue and 30% Colonial Bentgrass. Both these grasses are best adapted to golf fairways at our height of cut in our climate, and their combined performance is far superior to Poa annua, especially in resisting damage from disease. This seeding, in combination with using different growth regulators is helping bentgrasses thrive (and become more populated) on Potowomut fairways.
Go Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots, Bruins, Penn State and bentgrass!!
Growth regulator (Primo) has again been applied, and mowers have been lowered .010 (ten thousandths of an inch) and will remain at this height into September. Greens' speed and quality has already improved as of Friday morning.
The summer of 2010 will be remembered by turf managers. Many golf courses are struggling with a host of issues nationally because of hot, dry and humid weather. I have heard of numerous outbreaks of different diseases, insect and nematode damage and even bacteriological problems that are unsolvable with pesticides. Once again, we are shown that Mother Nature is truly in charge of our turfgrass. However, we tilt the balance toward success by proper spring and fall aeration, tree and shade management, intelligent use of irrigation including hand watering, natural organic fertilizer use and keeping pest populations controlled through chemical management.
Another important factor in maintaining success I discussed in my last blog posting, proper species. In the July 8th posting, I wrote about Poa annua being the grass mostly affected by nematodes. If our greens were 100% Poa annua, it is safe to say that greens would be in big trouble from nematode damage (or any of the above listed problems) this summer. For this reason, we discourage Poa annua from further proliferation into our greens, and we encourage bentgrass to spread twelve months a year. You could call these ideas the centerpieces of our maintenance programs.
Our extremely successful divot program on fairways is also in place to keep Poa annua away. (Thanks to you all for helping us here!!) The seed placed in the bottles is a combination 70% Chewings Fescue and 30% Colonial Bentgrass. Both these grasses are best adapted to golf fairways at our height of cut in our climate, and their combined performance is far superior to Poa annua, especially in resisting damage from disease. This seeding, in combination with using different growth regulators is helping bentgrasses thrive (and become more populated) on Potowomut fairways.
Go Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots, Bruins, Penn State and bentgrass!!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Always learning....
POA ANNUA AND NEMATODES
Despite a very stressful week for turf, greens' quality has improved since last week because of measures we took to prepare for an invasion of a pest with no effective chemical solution. We are still concerned (we always worry about greens in summer) but I believe we will weather this storm.
A great thing about my business is that basic lessons learned at Penn State are reinforced all the time. Long term members know that we expanded the perimeters of greens during 2004. Most greens edges were pushed out two to three feet that was lost over many years because of mowing errors. It took a couple of years to successfully lower the heights of cut on the expanded greens. It was a painfully slow process.
The grass that is predominant in these green expansions is Poa annua. Poa annua is a weak grass that no Superintendent wants, but is a weed grass that encroaches into greens instead of the creeping bentgrass that was originally established. Like it or not, since it ends up comprising sometimes 80 to 90% of greens turf, we are forced to manage it and play golf on it.
Poa annua has weak, thin root systems, dies quickly because of summer heat and drought and of all the grasses we manage on a golf course, is most prone to many different diseases, insect damage, death in winter because of cold and snow, and of course nematodes. If a Poa green dies, greens are dead and need to be re-established.
In nature, the strongest survive. Poa annua is weak, and is under attack. Poa is failing and once again the basics of turfgrass management are brought to the forefront.
Creeping bentgrass is the preferred grass for putting greens in the northeast. It is much stronger than Poa annua as it better survives from all the stresses listed above. Bentgrass plants are deeper rooted and healthier during summer. Lucky for us, except for the edges of the greens, most of our greens' area (70 to 80%) is comprised of creeping bentgrass, and this is why we will survive a nematode invasion to the Poa.
And, we haven't even talked about those nasty seedheads the Poa annua produces in late spring, which is another negative feature of Poa annua to write about another day.
DROUGHT
The golf course has been dry the last few weeks. Our goal during a drought is to keep fine turf areas (greens, tees, fairways) playable. While not under water restrictions, we are limited to the amount of water available for irrigation by our well, which puts water into the pond on #18. With this recent dry spell, we use more water than the well provides. For this reason, we eliminate irrigating rough areas, causing some grasses to go turn brown until fall.
Personally, I love the golf course with its different shades and hues of greens and browns during summer. Remember, our grand game was born in Scotland along linksland, and this summer look is as close as Potowomut gets to looking like a golf course from the good old UK.
Despite a very stressful week for turf, greens' quality has improved since last week because of measures we took to prepare for an invasion of a pest with no effective chemical solution. We are still concerned (we always worry about greens in summer) but I believe we will weather this storm.
A great thing about my business is that basic lessons learned at Penn State are reinforced all the time. Long term members know that we expanded the perimeters of greens during 2004. Most greens edges were pushed out two to three feet that was lost over many years because of mowing errors. It took a couple of years to successfully lower the heights of cut on the expanded greens. It was a painfully slow process.
The grass that is predominant in these green expansions is Poa annua. Poa annua is a weak grass that no Superintendent wants, but is a weed grass that encroaches into greens instead of the creeping bentgrass that was originally established. Like it or not, since it ends up comprising sometimes 80 to 90% of greens turf, we are forced to manage it and play golf on it.
Poa annua has weak, thin root systems, dies quickly because of summer heat and drought and of all the grasses we manage on a golf course, is most prone to many different diseases, insect damage, death in winter because of cold and snow, and of course nematodes. If a Poa green dies, greens are dead and need to be re-established.
In nature, the strongest survive. Poa annua is weak, and is under attack. Poa is failing and once again the basics of turfgrass management are brought to the forefront.
Creeping bentgrass is the preferred grass for putting greens in the northeast. It is much stronger than Poa annua as it better survives from all the stresses listed above. Bentgrass plants are deeper rooted and healthier during summer. Lucky for us, except for the edges of the greens, most of our greens' area (70 to 80%) is comprised of creeping bentgrass, and this is why we will survive a nematode invasion to the Poa.
And, we haven't even talked about those nasty seedheads the Poa annua produces in late spring, which is another negative feature of Poa annua to write about another day.
DROUGHT
The golf course has been dry the last few weeks. Our goal during a drought is to keep fine turf areas (greens, tees, fairways) playable. While not under water restrictions, we are limited to the amount of water available for irrigation by our well, which puts water into the pond on #18. With this recent dry spell, we use more water than the well provides. For this reason, we eliminate irrigating rough areas, causing some grasses to go turn brown until fall.
Personally, I love the golf course with its different shades and hues of greens and browns during summer. Remember, our grand game was born in Scotland along linksland, and this summer look is as close as Potowomut gets to looking like a golf course from the good old UK.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Greens' problems and solutions
Dear Members,
The edges of some greens have not been performing well all season. With diligent hand watering, we helped these areas limp along until recent early summer heat caused conditions to deteriorate.
Parasitic nematodes are small microscopic sized, wormlike animals and are the most populous animal on earth. They reside in soil and given the opportunity, will feast and thrive on living root tissue. Soil samples were pulled this week and sent to the University of Rhode Island Nematode labs. Results revealed late today that nematodes are causing the problems on our green edges. For example, #1 green had 14,000 of one type nematode in a pint of soil sampled, 15 green had a count of 8,500. Acceptable levels are both below 1,000 nematodes per pint of soil.
With high populations on green edges early in the summer, we need to assume that the nematode populations are also high throughout all greens' soils, even though greens are in wonderful condition today. A long and stressful summer is staring us down on July 2nd, and we need to prepare for root systems that have been compromised.
A few years ago, we would have simply applied a nematicide (Nemacur) to control the nematodes and control the population. Numbers would be reduced, roots would again grow and the greens would improve. Long time Potowomut members may remember closing down the golf course to apply this material in the past, due to its high hazard potential.
The Environmental Protection Agency cancelled the registration of Nemacur in 2005, leaving us with no pesticide available to control nematodes. To a Golf Course Superintendent, this is similar to a physician suddenly losing the only drug available that successfully treated a serious illness or condition.
Nematode infestations are challenging to turf managers in 2010 desiring to provide quality and fast greens for their members. However, let me outline our strategy and reasons to get green edges back and performing as expected.
1. Greens height of cut will be raised .015. (fifteen thousandths of an inch) Turf that has added leaf area can produce more food (plant sugars) using photosynthesis. Sugars are stored within the plant by growing longer root systems.
2. Thursday night, a fungicide and an insecticide were applied that have shown to reduce nematodes.
3. There are experimental plant extract treatments (black walnut) that have shown in some testing to decrease populations in some cases. One will be applied early next week.
4. To grow roots faster than the nematodes can feed, increased fertilizers will be used.
5. Growth regulator use will be suspended, temporarily.
6. While greens themselves will be mowed daily, green edges will be mowed every other day.
7. Will be thinking of different ways to combat nematodes during the next few sleepless nights....
To provide maximum green speed in normal maintenance mode, we do everything in our power to slow greens' growth. The less grass grows, the faster and smoother they are. Healthy greens have deep root systems that help greens become reliable despite
any environmental or physical stress.
We now find ourselves in an opposite situation. Today we need to promote grass growth so turfgrass can again grow healthy root systems, and thus, reliability, into our greens. This is why the steps above almost all promote turfgrass growth, some even to overdose levels.
Our goals are to keep greens at their current condition. Speeds may slow while we attack a pest without an available pesticide solution. However, full turf coverage is better for all members than fast greens that may be far less than perfect, in my opinion. We will update any changes as warranted. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
Sincerely,
Patrick M. Gertner, CGCS
Golf Course Superintendent
The edges of some greens have not been performing well all season. With diligent hand watering, we helped these areas limp along until recent early summer heat caused conditions to deteriorate.
Parasitic nematodes are small microscopic sized, wormlike animals and are the most populous animal on earth. They reside in soil and given the opportunity, will feast and thrive on living root tissue. Soil samples were pulled this week and sent to the University of Rhode Island Nematode labs. Results revealed late today that nematodes are causing the problems on our green edges. For example, #1 green had 14,000 of one type nematode in a pint of soil sampled, 15 green had a count of 8,500. Acceptable levels are both below 1,000 nematodes per pint of soil.
With high populations on green edges early in the summer, we need to assume that the nematode populations are also high throughout all greens' soils, even though greens are in wonderful condition today. A long and stressful summer is staring us down on July 2nd, and we need to prepare for root systems that have been compromised.
A few years ago, we would have simply applied a nematicide (Nemacur) to control the nematodes and control the population. Numbers would be reduced, roots would again grow and the greens would improve. Long time Potowomut members may remember closing down the golf course to apply this material in the past, due to its high hazard potential.
The Environmental Protection Agency cancelled the registration of Nemacur in 2005, leaving us with no pesticide available to control nematodes. To a Golf Course Superintendent, this is similar to a physician suddenly losing the only drug available that successfully treated a serious illness or condition.
Nematode infestations are challenging to turf managers in 2010 desiring to provide quality and fast greens for their members. However, let me outline our strategy and reasons to get green edges back and performing as expected.
1. Greens height of cut will be raised .015. (fifteen thousandths of an inch) Turf that has added leaf area can produce more food (plant sugars) using photosynthesis. Sugars are stored within the plant by growing longer root systems.
2. Thursday night, a fungicide and an insecticide were applied that have shown to reduce nematodes.
3. There are experimental plant extract treatments (black walnut) that have shown in some testing to decrease populations in some cases. One will be applied early next week.
4. To grow roots faster than the nematodes can feed, increased fertilizers will be used.
5. Growth regulator use will be suspended, temporarily.
6. While greens themselves will be mowed daily, green edges will be mowed every other day.
7. Will be thinking of different ways to combat nematodes during the next few sleepless nights....
To provide maximum green speed in normal maintenance mode, we do everything in our power to slow greens' growth. The less grass grows, the faster and smoother they are. Healthy greens have deep root systems that help greens become reliable despite
any environmental or physical stress.
We now find ourselves in an opposite situation. Today we need to promote grass growth so turfgrass can again grow healthy root systems, and thus, reliability, into our greens. This is why the steps above almost all promote turfgrass growth, some even to overdose levels.
Our goals are to keep greens at their current condition. Speeds may slow while we attack a pest without an available pesticide solution. However, full turf coverage is better for all members than fast greens that may be far less than perfect, in my opinion. We will update any changes as warranted. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
Sincerely,
Patrick M. Gertner, CGCS
Golf Course Superintendent
Friday, June 4, 2010
Its June already??
Few random thoughts.....
Greens have rebounded quite well from their aeration processes in early May. We are within 5 thousands of an inch of out lowest mowing height and expect to lower mowers to their final height during the next week or so. Disease anthracnose has not been seen, despite its presence on a few greens last year. We have shortened the interval between fungicide treatments this spring to combat this disease nemesis and will continue this practice all summer.
Dual Bladed Shaving Technology Comes to Turf Maintenance
In the early 1970's, double bladed razors were introduced to the marketplace with the Gillette Trac II razor. The idea behind the razor was: if the first blade didn't work, the second one would. Well, this idea is now being utilized by our greens sprayer. Greenleaf Technologies manufactures nozzles for golf course sprayers. The new nozzle is actually a dual nozzle designed with front and back outlets, set at offset angles. Half the product is applied with each nozzle.
The benefit for the golf course is superior coverage....if the first nozzle doesn't cover the turf with product, the second one will. The sprayer travels at a quick 3.8 MPH while spraying, and better coverage will help the products we apply to work better and last longer, ultimately saving maintenance dollars.
Today we aerated more green edges that were extended a few years ago. (1 and 4) After plugs are cleared off, we fill the holes with an orangish Montmorillonite clay product that will help the soils in these areas hold more water. Turf in these areas have been prone to wilting, and the clay product should improve turfgrass quality. This process has been completed on nine greens. We expect to complete the other nine during the summer, two or three at a time.
We also plan on establishing more creeping bentgrass to these green extension areas during the season, using a contractor with a specialized seeder.
Tidbits....We are stockpiling irrigation water in the pond on 18 in preparation for upcoming hot summer weather....Excessive soil moisture last fall and this spring aided weed germination in the rough, and maybe your home lawn too. We have applied twice the amount of herbicide versus what we used during entire 2009 to combat weeds such as clover, dandelion and chickweed....We were quoted in a May 2010 article in "Golf Course Management" magazine on a newly released variety of perennial ryegrass we have been using on our tees. This new grass, developed at The Ohio State University, has regeneration properties similar to creeping bentgrass....Pumped 3.5 million gallons for irrigation this year, as compared to 2.4 million last year at this time....The water table has dropped in recent weeks, but is still higher than we have recorded since 2006.
My Rhode Island roots deepen....Daughter Zoe will attend Bryant University in North Smithfield this fall. This proud dad couldn't be happier to have her close by!!
Greens have rebounded quite well from their aeration processes in early May. We are within 5 thousands of an inch of out lowest mowing height and expect to lower mowers to their final height during the next week or so. Disease anthracnose has not been seen, despite its presence on a few greens last year. We have shortened the interval between fungicide treatments this spring to combat this disease nemesis and will continue this practice all summer.
Dual Bladed Shaving Technology Comes to Turf Maintenance
In the early 1970's, double bladed razors were introduced to the marketplace with the Gillette Trac II razor. The idea behind the razor was: if the first blade didn't work, the second one would. Well, this idea is now being utilized by our greens sprayer. Greenleaf Technologies manufactures nozzles for golf course sprayers. The new nozzle is actually a dual nozzle designed with front and back outlets, set at offset angles. Half the product is applied with each nozzle.
The benefit for the golf course is superior coverage....if the first nozzle doesn't cover the turf with product, the second one will. The sprayer travels at a quick 3.8 MPH while spraying, and better coverage will help the products we apply to work better and last longer, ultimately saving maintenance dollars.
Today we aerated more green edges that were extended a few years ago. (1 and 4) After plugs are cleared off, we fill the holes with an orangish Montmorillonite clay product that will help the soils in these areas hold more water. Turf in these areas have been prone to wilting, and the clay product should improve turfgrass quality. This process has been completed on nine greens. We expect to complete the other nine during the summer, two or three at a time.
We also plan on establishing more creeping bentgrass to these green extension areas during the season, using a contractor with a specialized seeder.
Tidbits....We are stockpiling irrigation water in the pond on 18 in preparation for upcoming hot summer weather....Excessive soil moisture last fall and this spring aided weed germination in the rough, and maybe your home lawn too. We have applied twice the amount of herbicide versus what we used during entire 2009 to combat weeds such as clover, dandelion and chickweed....We were quoted in a May 2010 article in "Golf Course Management" magazine on a newly released variety of perennial ryegrass we have been using on our tees. This new grass, developed at The Ohio State University, has regeneration properties similar to creeping bentgrass....Pumped 3.5 million gallons for irrigation this year, as compared to 2.4 million last year at this time....The water table has dropped in recent weeks, but is still higher than we have recorded since 2006.
My Rhode Island roots deepen....Daughter Zoe will attend Bryant University in North Smithfield this fall. This proud dad couldn't be happier to have her close by!!
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