After a less than satisfactory spring we have finally got some greens that are performing well. There are a number of factors that caused our greens to be so poor in the spring some of them i explained in my last blog. The most contributing factor in my opinion and of a few of my peers was a fertilizer application. At the start of every season weather permitting we put down what is called a base feed. This base feed is a granular and has 3 types of nitrogen within each prill as well as phosphorous and potassium (potash) . The nitrogen has three different chain molecule sizes allowing them to release nitrogen at different stages. The longer the molecule the slower the release of nutrients will be. So we have a short chain molecule that will release nutrient almost immediately and be available to the plant. This initial nutrient will just give enough to get the plant growing and should have given us a even surface. The medium chain molecule releases nutrient over the first 3 months with the long chain molecule lasting for 6 months (according to the company selling). The product we used should have given us a good start to the spring but unfortunately the product did not work for us in the way it was sold to us. For those of you that missed the effects of a poorly recommended product it is shown in the pictures below.
So with the fertilizer applied at the correct rate and our spreader calibrated prior to application we should have had nice even growth pattern. The pictures show that the fertilizer has just released where it landed on the surface. The prill should have dispersed further and merged into the surrounding prills. Next step was regular top dressing to try to smooth them out because by this time they were slow and bumpy, probably the worst combination. After plenty of head scratching and a bit of professional advice we decided to try and feed the stressed plant with a liquid feed. The aim here was to try and get the nutrition straight into the leaf of the plant so it is taken up immediately, like a blood transfusion, straight into the vein. To achieve this we have to use low water volumes around 250 liters. The correct nozzle selection is critical. We must get as many droplets of the spray onto the leaf of the plant. With the most effective nutrition source purchased off we went. This strategy prove to be our saving grace along with the perfect weather. There definitely was a lesson learned there.
Other Greens Work
We are keeping up the top dressing on a biweekly basis applying around 5 tonnes per application or when it rains. A pencil time (8mm x 100mm) will be going across the greens on a monthly basis. We are now near our summer height of cut. Our plan going forward is to try and get the greens to a acceptable speed and keep them consistent until our renovation week (target speed 9.5 - 10.5). We will achieve this by top dressing and rolling 3 times a week. The turf iron has a slitter (50mm deep) between the rollers so every time we roll we will be slitting at the same time keeping the surface open. As we have been applying a lot of sand over the past 3 years we are slowly changing the soil profile. The greens are becoming firmer we need to manage the water better. In general we replace 60% of water that the plant has lost through evapotranspiration (water evaporating from the leaf of the plant sending it into stress). But now we need to realise that the water is percolating through the profile quicker with the addition of constant dressing. There is a fine line between too much and too little. We are still learning how to manage the water most efficiently.
Other News
Thank you too all of you who turned out for the divot evening, 35 in total. Proved to be a worth while session.
Our first application of GPR (growth plant regulator) on all surfaces has been applied apart from the greens, see April 2014 blog for full explanation of Growth Plant Regulator and its benefits. Most of the fairways and rough has been sprayed for perennial weeds which have been particularly bad this year. We are now using a wetting agent to help manage the water better within the soil profile, we are using it on greens, tees and approaches. The approaches are still not up to our usually high standards. They are still recovering from the work we done in the autumn. The irrigation system is fully operational as the pictures below show. As you may have noticed the reservoir is at least 1.5 meters down. The Bore hole is not in operation at the moment which means i am unable to put any water back into the reservoir. It is being fixed on Monday 1st so hopefully water will be going into the reservoir by Tuesday.
There has been some fantastic wild life on the course early morning. We had at last count 33 pheasants, Red Legged Partridges were spotted for the first time this year on the 17th on Friday. Roe Deer are regular visitors especially around the pit on the 7th and the 4th fairway. It looks like we may have 2 pairs of Red Kites nesting on the course which i think might be a first unfortunately no Buzzards but they are more prolific now. Talking of Red Kites Andy witnessed something amazing (or frightening if you were they guy involved). So there's a guy who likes to tee off early to make the most of the day coming to the end of his round he was walking up the 18th fairway, Andy was mowing the fairway and approximately 56/60 yards away. The guy was minding his own business walking up the right hand rough then out of the blue a Red Kite decided to attack the guy two or three times swooping from quite high. The guy was a little shaken and luckily no marks so be warned do not slice it on the 18th. Thank you for reading and may the golfing gods be with you.
Regards Lee & The Greenkeeping Team
Regards Lee & The Greenkeeping Team