Thursday, September 05, 2013
Everything lined up well for this week and the weather continued to impress. With perfect weather, our team was able to complete the double DryJect and Core Aeration scheduled for this week. We also applied dolomitic lime and potash to the fairways to help balance soil pH and other deficiencies. Overall the week was very successful and we are thankful for the closed days to complete these essential agronomic practices. We will only be closed on Mondays for the rest of the year.
The DryJect was a great option for us this fall because it will help relieve compaction and improve water infiltration and thatch dilution while healing very quickly for our fall golf season. The fall is beautiful in Richmond and we want to maximize your playing experience. We expect the greens to fully heal over in the next 7-14 days. The course will open to normal tee times tomorrow morning, Friday September 6.
This weekend, the first tee time goes back to 8:00 a.m. Between Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day Weekend, we provide 7:30 a.m. tee times on weekends and holidays. Due to the loss of seasonal staff and a later sun rise, tee times between now and next Memorial Day will begin at 8:00 a.m. With less staff to get the work done, we need more time to provide the same conditions. Later tee times also provide a safer, more efficient working environment in the daylight. The main reason we prefer to work in daylight is to prevent big mistakes such as a staff member not being able to see a very wet area or a hydraulic leak.
Thanks and have a great weekend,
Jordan Booth
jbooth@willowoakscc.org
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| The DryJect injects a channel of sand into the green. This process requires very little cleanup and heals over very quickly. It still improves water movement and helps to dilute thatch. We performed this process in two different directions at two different depths to maximize efficiency. |
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| After the double DryJect, our team topdressed and core aerated greens with small tines. This helps to relieve compaction and remove thatch. Once all of this was cleaned up, soil amendments were added based on soil tests and everything was watered in. |
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| This is what the greens looked like before (right half) and after the core aeration(left half.) The cores are then blown off and picked up. The greens will be soft and wet through the weekend. |
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| Lime and Potash were applied to fairways based on soil tests. The lime provides Calcium and Magnesium and raises soil pH. The Potash provides Potassium which is essential for root production and helps the TifSport prepare for dormancy. |
