APPROACHES
AUTUMN GREENS AERATION
OTHER NEWS
Thankyou for reading
Lee & Greenkeeping Team
As autumn falls, the clocks go back this weekend it signals the start of a busy period for us. I really enjoy this time of year give us something to get our teeth stuck into. As you will all be aware the bunker project will start 26th October. Profusion have move their plant and living quarters on site ready for action. This year we will be doing hole 1-7 there maybe some temporary greens in play at time but we will try to keep the disruption to a minimum. We will be following the same process as previous years. 1) mark working areas 2) strip surrounding turf 3) remove and store topsoil 4) rough shape new bunker 5) agree shape and finish shaping 6) lay upside down turf in bases 7) lay reveting turf around edges 8) place topsoil on working areas 9) turf surrounding area 10) place sand in bunker and compact. If all goes well we should be finished in 5/6 weeks. Profusion will also be laying 2 new paths for us. The 12th & 15th paths will be stripped down and replaced with a synthetic mulch. This will be easier to walk up and also more aesthetically pleasing (schedule for paths to be agreed) APPROACHESOur autumn renovation of the approaches has been completed. As we know we have been suffering over the past few years with boggy approaches. We took a little advice from the STRI and decided to hit them hard whilst we had the chance at the beginning of october. We started by double scarifying at a depth of 8mm to remove any surface fibre (thatch) which acts like a sponge. Unfortunately this ripped up a bit in places which we had to repair with soil and seed. Then we top dressed with approximately 2 tonnes per approach with the same sand as we use on the greens. Following that was the Verti-drain which we hired. This came with 14 inch x 3/4 inch tines (350mm x 19mm). Unfortunately we could only manage to get them into 11.5 inches which actually was pretty good considering the compaction in places. Then we brushed the sand into as many holes as possible. last but not least a autumn granular feed was put out which is high in K (potassium) which helps with root development and hardens the plant going into winter. So we put them through their paces which needed to be done, further dressings will be applied every time we topdress the greens. AUTUMN GREENS AERATIONIt's all about the timing with greens aeration. Too wet and the holes smear and just create channels for the water to sit in. Too dry and the sub soil crumbles and no air pockets are created. So we are looking for somewhere in between (which is called friable soil) for optimal results. As good a time as any was last monday (19th Oct). We decided to get two aeration operations in at the same time and this year unlike previous years we decided to take the opportunity to get some sand in the holes. The process was as follows. 1) Tine with 12mm x 220mm tines 2) Topdress at 0.5 tonne per green 3) Brush in sand 4) Slit with Greentek slitter to try and join the tine hole together. 5) Turf iron and blow debris. Aeration at this time of year is important as the window for opportunity lessens as we go into winter. Because our playing season is so busy finding the time to run a 12mm tine across the greens is impossible also we need to try and relieve any compaction we have created from footfall and machinery during the season. Also as i mentioned above we still have time to improve root structure to help us keep the plant healthy through the winter. tining creates lots of air pockets for the roots to follow, remember the roots grow in air not soil. Tining will also add much needed oxygen to the plant it also allows us to unlock and nutrients that have become unavailable to the plant. Drainage is also high on the list of benefits from aeration or to be more specific water percolation, keeping the water off of the surface and trying to get it past the thatch layer deeper into the subsoil so it can drain away. OTHER NEWSWe have removed the wood from the slope at the 12th tee. The wood was rotten and unsightly. Removing the wood and turfing the bank has given us a extra 2 yards on the ladies tee. We will be doing the same to the bottom tee. The leaves have started to fall so we will be continuously clearing them up until christmas i should think. With the temperatures still reasonably mild our routine maintenance has still been full on with most surfaces being cut 2/3 week. We are now into our winter disease preventative programme with disease pressure still high. We will spray a preventative fungicide monthly rather than waiting to spray at first sight. Prevention is better than cure. This time of year it can take up to six days for the fungicide to translocate through the plant and give full protection hence why we preventative spray. If we get disease during the winter we will be left with unsightly scars through until April. Topdressing will continue through the winter every time it rains. Winter work programme will continue as and when during the bunker work period.
Thankyou for reading Lee & Greenkeeping Team
1 Comment
David Barker
20/11/2015 05:08:34 am
Thanks Again Lee - just commenting to let you know we do read your Blog - Maybe we can start a campaign to just add comment saying "I've read your Blog" so you know your not wasting your time
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Lee BishopI am a proud father and husband. I have been Course Manager at Burnham Beeches GC for 7+ years. I have enjoyed 23 years as a greenkeeper. Archives
February 2017
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