Lots of action this week!

Added a picture of Dugan to end the week well...

Wow!  We started off the week a little nervous about the irrigation system.  It seems like we found the break, repaired it and the week has just gotten better every day!

Tuesday, we did the Chipco Choice application to tee complexes, fairways, and green surrounds.  The applicators slit the product in just below the turf canopy and the product will kill the mole crickets as they hatch from their eggs.  The great thing about this product is that it is guaranteed to deliver sufficient control in the treated areas until December 31. 

Thursday, we got a spray application on the greens containing some growth hormones for the grass, some fertilizer and a plant protectant from some of the problematic diseases that we might see at this time of the year.  We also had a wetting agent in the mix that helps us to use less water and keep it where we want it.  In addition to the spray application, we put out a granular fertilizer containing potassium, iron and manganese.  The potassium (K) is very important in our greens as it helps regulate water usage, assist in plant development and give the plant some extra strength in times of stress.  The other two elements are essential for color and pathogenic antagonism.  As I have discussed before, the manganese (Mn) has been scientifically proven to antagonize the causal agent associated with Take-All Patch.

On to the 4 greens that went without water for a long time.  I am very impressed with 3, 4, and 7 as to how they came through our irrigation-induced drought.  I am confident that in no stretch of time, they will look as good as the other 15 greens on the course.  As for 6...it was weak coming out of winter and this stretch did weaken it further.  However, I have looking at "grow-in" programs for Paspalum greens and am confident that within 8 weeks we will have near full coverage of the green again.  A combination of weekly fertilizer applications and light verti-cuttings will enhance the recovery.

Some of you will have noticed by now that we verti-cut the putting green on Wednesday and not the rest of the greens on the course.  I like to use the putting green as my test green for upcoming maintenance since we are without a nursery green.  We did a test run on the putting green because we were running our verti-cutters in a new fashion and wanted to see how aggressive the result would be as well as how the machine would handle it.  We gained some new insight and will be prepared to verti-cut the other 18 greens on the course Monday. 

I am attaching a few photos documenting tree shade on 4 and 6 greens and just how much tree removal will benefit the facility.

Why won't turf grow in the shade on #6?

Disregarding the hydraulic leak, notice the thinner turf in the foreground and how the whole green is covered in shade on #4.