A Day for a Verticut and Topdress

We are in the process of verticutting an topdressing greens today. This process helps to remove thatch from the green and keeps the turf from developing distinctive grain which aids in a smooth ball roll when putting.  We perform this task on a bi-weekly basis and usually on Mondays when the course is closed.  For most golfers the process goes unnoticed and the greens heal completely in 3-4 days. 

CCP crew member verticutting #8 green

 The verticut green is then mowed and followed up with an ultra light topdressing.  The verticut unit itself is like a number of circular saw blades positioned vertically at a half inch apart and cut 1/8 of an inch deep into the turf.

Visually you will be able to see the slices or grooves from the verticutter for a few days before they heal.  It has little to no effect on smoothness of the green while they are recovering.   

Closeup of the verticut "grooves" on green. 

The course came through the unseasonably warm holiday weekend in good shape.  We had to do a lot of hand watering and irrigating to combat the heat and dry conditions.  It felt more like the
"Dog Days of Summer" then it did Memorial Day.  The greens are rolling nicely and playability is very good currently. 

Word of the Day......Evapotranspiration

What in the world does the word evapotranspiration mean (ET for short)?  Well for turf managers and those involved in agriculture it is a word well understood and meaningful.  Courtesy of wikpedia the definition is as follows:

Evapotranspiration (ET) is a term used to describe the sum of evaporation and plant transpiration from the Earth's land surface to atmosphere. Evaporation accounts for the movement of water to the air from sources such as the soil, canopy interception, and waterbodies. Transpiration accounts for the movement of water within a plant and the subsequent loss of water as vapor through stomata in its leaves.  An element (such as a tree) that contributes to evapotranspiration can be called an evapotranspirator.^[1]

MTI field day hosted at CC of Peoria

In our case it is the amount of water (in inches) lost from the turfgrass system calculated on a daily basis.  Over the last week or so I have seen some of the highest ET rates in my career as a turf manager.  In the last 7 days we have recorded 3 days over .3 inches and today we are looking at over .4 inches of ET.  A typical ET rate for this time of year is .12 to .15 inches daily so these extremely high ET rates are concerning to say the least.  The course will require much more attention and water over the next 5 days through the holiday weekend so we are preparing for the stressful conditions as best we can. 

The course is showing some signs of drought stress but remains in very good playing condition.  We are beginning to manage the greens for more speed as they have healed up 14+ days after Aeration. 

This morning we hosted a field day for Toro MTI out of St. Louis.  A number of Superintendents and Turf manager from around the area attended to see the newest equipment improvements in Toro's equipment line.  Hybrid mowers and electric mowers were some of the featured highlights.    

Is There Really a Root to the Problem?

When it comes to turfgrass and the competition between trees and turf the answer is yes, there is a root to the problem.  It has been well researched by turf scientists and understood by turf managers for many years that trees are in direct competition with turf plants for water and nutrients. 


Surface roots just off #4 fairway during irrigation project 2007

Result of "free" root pruning during irrigation project 

We are currently doing some root pruning of trees to give the edge to the turf plant and hopefully give the turf a better growing environment.  There are some common "myths" when it comes to trees and their expansive root systems.  The first is that roots only go out to the drip line of the tree...wrong.  The root system will typically go out some 85-90% of the tree height.  So for example, a tree that is 70 feet tall could have a root system that goes out nearly 60 feet from the tree.  When this same tree is 25 feet off a fairway then the competition opportunity is definitely in favor of the tree.  Another "myth" is that trees have deep root systems that are well below the turf plant roots so they are not competing for the same water and nutrients...wrong again.  Trees can and do have roots very near the surface and often are just 3-4 inches below the surface and directly in the root zone of turf plants again creating a competitive situation. 

CCP crew member using a ground saw to root prune #2 Fairway

Our root pruning is at a depth of 12 inches and this is enough to give the turf plant a fair chance at capturing water and nutrients before the tree does.  We only prune the side between the tree and a fairway, tee box or green.  This is a common practice on golf courses across the United States and does not damage the trees health when done properly.  It is necessary to root prune every 3-4 years as trees do regenerate new roots over time that will reach back into the turf area.   We are in our 5th season since the irrigation project so the free root pruning has worn off and it is necessary to do it again in select areas.  The 2.5 inch trench that is created from the process is back filled and seeded and should recover nicely over the next month.     .     

Turf Recovering Nicely From Aeration

We have had six good days of weather that have helped the greens and tees get well on the way to recovery from the aeration process.  The greens are looking great with the half inch diameter holes closing rapidly and you have to look very close at the tees to tell they were aerated at all.  After six to seven days the turf recovery is progressing very nicely.


Green surface seven days after aeration    

Overview of #9 Green 7 days after aeration. 

We will switch back to walk mowing the greens this week instead of using a triplex.  After we topdress the greens it is very hard on the mower reel blades as they pick up excess sand so we use a triplex in order to save our reels on the walk mowers.  After 3-4 mowings with the riding mower we return to walk mowing to reduce stress on the greens and continue walk mowing daily through the rest of the season.

We are also aerating the fairways and have over half of them completed at this time.  We will finish the fairway work by Wednesday this week and all the areas of the course will have been aerated for the spring.  It is our goal to have all areas fully recovered by Memorial Day weekend as we head into the summer season.  

#1 Fairway after being aerated and ready for cleanup

The fairway process takes longer to complete as we are dealing with 24 acres compared to 4.5 acres with greens and tees.  The process has been going very smoothly.
The crew has been very busy putting in numerous long days and evenings so they are always glad to see the aeration process come to an end.....  maybe even more so than the golfers!!  As always, we appreciate your patience and understanding as we complete this important agronomic task. 

Aeration Begins....Finally!

After a week of delays due to weather we are able to begin the aeration process on our greens.  The last week brought a total 3.5 inches of rain to the course during numerous rain events.  We did need it as we were beginning to see some dry conditions overall but the timing was not the best.  It is very difficult to pull cores and clean them up when wet conditions prevail.  It is also very difficult to apply topdressing and properly fill the aeration holes when the sand is damp and wet.  All in all, rain and aeration do not mix well!

Crew Foreman Robert Friend aerates green at CC of Peoria

Our first priority will be to get the greens done then tees and fairways.  The greens should be close to completion today as we were able to get some greens done on Sunday afternoon/evening.  We will be working into the evenings the rest of the week in order to complete the tees and begin the process on fairways.

As always we appreciate your patience during this process and we will do our best to limit the impacts on playability.  Please keep in mind that this agronomic practice is a key component in helping the greens get through the summer stress period and provides you with healthy greens to putt on.  I guess a week like we have just had is a subtle reminder that Mother Nature is still in charge!