Thursday, February 16, 2012

Tree Work and Herbicide Applications

The past couple of days and tomorrow will be dedicated to our Spring pre-emergent herbicide application.  This application will help protect against crabgrass, goosegrass, and poa annua germination.  Our management team has sprayed around the greens and bunkers with some green dye that you may see out there.  That is a tracker dye to indicate where we have sprayed.  Our team is also applying a post emergent herbicide to remove any remaining poa annua plants directly around greens.  This is a time consuming process but most of the poa has been set back by earlier applications.   Our goal of being weed free from tee to green will be in reach with these applications.

Jorge is using a spring loaded sponge applicator to kill any remaining poa annua plants around greens.  This tool is very similar to a bingo blotter and you may see green dots around the greens.  You can already see the poa annua yellowing out in most areas around greens.

Ryan, our new Assistant in Training, is tying in bunker faces and tight areas that we cannot spray with the spray hawk or large sprayers.  Once again, you can see that the weeds are yellowing out and dying that have already been sprayed.

You have probably noticed a lot of tree work between 10 and 12 and to the left of 9.  Our team is removing dead trees as well as opening up avenues of sunlight to sustain turf.  The stumps are being ground and back filled and our tree work should be wrapped up by the end of February.  After February, we move into fan installations, drainage work, greens core aeration, and prepping the golf course for normal spring time play.  An important note:  The golf course will be closed for putting green aeration on Tuesday, March 20 and Wednesday March 21.  I will have more info about fan installation and our maintenance calendar very soon.

Check out these couple of videos from the USGA Green Section on greens aeration and tree work.  Have a great day.

 
 Core aeration is disruptive to play but very important for turf health.

This video is very indicative of the root/shade competition on the clubhouse putting green.  Trees easily out compete turf for water, nutrients, and sunlight. 

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