Take-All Trials

We have talked about Take-All Patch way too much over the past couple of years.  We often see the symptoms on tees and fairways in the late spring, and as with many patch diseases, by the time you see symptoms on the foliage, the damage is already done.


So, while it may be getting cold outside, and potential Take-All problems are over six months away, now is the time to try to prevent it.  This fall, we are making two preventative applications of a combination of fungicides.

As the old turf adage goes, Mother Nature doesn't work in straight lines.  By leaving clearly defined treated and untreated areas side by side, we should easily be able to see if the preventative fungicides got the job done.  Take-All can be hit or miss from year to year, so had we made wall to wall applications without check plots, we might not know if any reduction in disease severity was due to the spray or other factors such as the weather. 

So, now we wait for half a year to see if the spray worked.  While nobody will shed a tear if we find zero Take-All on the entire golf course next year, it will be helpful to know if this is a solid weapon in preventing the disease in the future.

Grind Time

Obviously, one of the most critical parts of the golf course operation is having mowers which cut properly.  While a homeowner's lawn may be cut with a rotary mower at 2", the greens are maintained with reel mowers, often set as low as 1/10".  When you are cutting this tight, there is little margin for error.  Height adjustments are made to the thousandth of an inch, and every mower is checked after each use.

As we are about to enter the season when mowers are overhauled by equipment technicians, the timing was perfect for us to host a seminar on the subject of reel maintenance.  This event, sponsored by Turf Equipment and Supply Company gave instructor Jim Nedin a chance to go into the topic in detail with a small group of local technicians. 

The morning session was spent in the classroom, discussing the theory of best practices for reel setup, along with common causes of improper cutting.  To maintain a precise, clean cut, there are many factors which need to be taken into consideration.  A technician needs to be aware of reel diameter, number of blades on a reel, bedknife options, and roller options. 

Then the afternoon session gave the group the chance to watch Jim as he gave a hands-on demonstration.  With a walking greensmower costing close to what a Nissan Versa does, proper care is a must.

We were happy to open our doors for this event.  It was a great opportunity for individuals to learn, while sharing their thoughts and experiences with others.

Big Break

Irrigation leaks are never any fun, and when the pipe size is 8", you can expect a big hole will be needed to make the repair.  Such was the case a week ago, when suddenly, up from the ground came a significant amount of water.

In situations like this, digging carefully is mandatory.  We not only don't want to rip the pipe out of the ground, but we also need to avoid damaging the myriad wires which run alongside the pipe.

Step two in this surgical procedure was cutting out the old tee.  Virtually none of the irrigation pipe on the golf course is glued together.  Instead it is pushed together using belled end pipe with gaskets.  Therefore, it is primarily the weight of the soil which holds the pipe in place.  However, where fittings such as tees and elbows are installed, concrete thrust blocks were poured to prevent the pipe from moving.  As you can see below, the concrete thrust block came out with the tee.

Once we had the tee out, we could finally see exactly where the problem was.  The ductile iron tee corroded to the point that its rubber gasket blew out.  Similar to a car's tire separating from the rim, once the gasket's seal was broken, water was able to freely escape the pipe.

When repairing pipes we no longer have the room to push pipe into a new fitting.  In a situation like this, some type of repair coupling is used.  There are many different kinds, but on the recommendation of an experienced irrigation contractor, we chose a repair coupling which was new to us.  One of the advantages to this model, is that there is only a single bolt to tighten on each end.  This may not sound like a big deal, but inevitably, tightening bolts on the bottom of a pipe in a muddy hole, is less than ideal.  One bolt, situated on top of the pipe is a big improvement.

Once the repair couplings were in place, we poured our own thrust blocks to prevent any possible pipe movement, and the couplings themselves are wrapped in plastic.  This way, should the repair ever need to be dug up, we won't have to be chipping concrete off the couplings.  The finished product may not look beautiful, but it is effective.

Again, these main line repairs are never a party.  However, to look at the glass as half full, the pipe wasn't eight feet deep, the wires were looped around the existing fitting giving us plenty of room to work, and it took place in November, not July!

How much rain?

One week ago, from Sunday to Monday, we had the largest rain event of the year, totaling 3.7".  Although this may pale in comparison to what some areas of the country have had to deal with, it still is a quantity that may be difficult to wrap your head around.

So, let's take a look at what 3.7" of rain really means to the course.  There are 27,154 gallons of water per acre inch.  When we multiply this by 3.7" you find that each acre received 100,470 gallons of water.  While the golf course property itself is 237 acres, when we include the surrounding residential area that drains onto the course, we come up with 477 acres.

So, how much water did the golf course have to deal with, either directly, or indirectly with this storm?  Try this number on for size: 477 acres X 100,470 gallons per acre = 47,924,094

That's right, almost 48 million gallons of water were handled by the golf course.  At 8.34 pounds per gallon, that's just under 400,000,000 pounds of water.

Had we asked Dr. Evil this question, it seems unlikely that his answer would have even been close.

Where did this hefty amount of water go?  Obviously, a good bit is absorbed into the soil.  The balance of the water is channeled into our extensive storm sewer system, where it fills the lakes on the course.  Once the ponds and lakes reach capacity, they will overflow into one of two tributaries of the Rancocas Creek, and from there, it is a short trip to the Delaware River.

The great news is that despite all of this rain, we were open with carts less than 24 hours after it stopped.  The golf course had a large drainage system installed when constructed, and we have continued to augment the drainage over the years.  At times like this, the payoff of having a good drainage system, which allows quick access to the course, is clear.

Fescue Renovation Update

Last month (see, Project Time), we discussed the upcoming renovation to the Fescue between #7 and 13.  Since then, we have made several applications of selective herbicides, for control of both broadleaf and grassy weeds.  Lo and behold, after one mowing, we now find that there is still some very good Fine Fescue in parts of this area.

On a small scale, this is good evidence that, given enough time and effort, once established, we can maintain a pretty pure stand of Fine Fescue.  Again, the keys are time and effort--"low maintenance" is definitely a misnomer.

With several applications of selective herbicides complete, we have separated the wheat from the chaff (or the Fescue from the weeds).  Parts of this space which have too little Fescue, and require sodding, can now be easily identified.

In these locations, an application of a non-selective herbicide was made recently.  As you can see below, a green tracker dye was used when applying the non-selective herbicide in order to see what sections were sprayed.

The story will continue next month as we prepare for a few tractor trailer loads of sod.

Ignore the calendar!

If you looked at the calendar and have already put your clubs away for the year, you are really missing out on some of the best golfing weather and course conditions of the year.  This weekend's forecast was spectacular for late October.

It's pretty unusual that we are content with the weather.  More often than not, we feel like Goldilocks:  It's too hot, it's too cold, it's too wet, it's too dry.  However, from gorgeous sunrises to beautiful sunsets this weather is hard to beat.

A great picture from Mr. Christian Noyes.

From a course management perspective, the biggest challenge at the moment may be a lack of light in the morning.  To stay ahead of play, we are still starting at 6:00 a.m., and everything is a bit trickier for the first hour. 

Even with lights, mowing in the dark is challenging.

 

If you see the greens dotted for future pin placements, it's because choosing a good location is a whole lot easier to do when you have some light to work with, than in the dark.

Dotted during the day helps when it is dark out.

The clocks will be going back in two weeks, and eventually cold winter winds will be blowing.  So get out and take advantage of these special days while you can!

A game changer?

Greens aerification is not something that either golfers or turf managers enjoy.  While this process provides long-term benefits to the putting surface, in the short-run, the greens often resemble Swiss cheese.  For years, equipment manufacturers and turf researchers have looked to build a better mouse trap, by developing a method of aerifying which increases pore space, removes (or dilutes) thatch, all while causing minimal disruption to the surface.

For the past several years, we have used Dryject aerification in conjunction with a conventional core aerification in the spring.  Does Dryject create channels with lots of pore space?  Yes.  Does Dryject create minimal surface disturbance?  Yes.  So, to date, the only argument some might make, is that Dryject isn't doing enough to remove or dilute thatch near the surface.

A conventional Dryject machine following core aerification.

Dryject typically gets the sand deep into the profile.

Well, those who developed the Dryject nearly 20 years ago, were outside the box thinkers back then, and continue to be so today.  The new question for them is, can Dryject actually reduce organic matter/thatch percentage in a putting green without pulling a plug?

This is where Laurel Creek steps into the picture.  We are always happy to help with turfgrass research which could benefit the golf industry.  In this case, we are located very close to Dryject's world headquarters, and didn't hesitate to let them use our nursery green for some real world testing of their prototype aerifier.

In order to sufficiently dilute organic matter, a good deal of sand needs to be added to the upper part of the soil profile.  Therefore, the hole spacing needs to be much tighter than with a traditional Dryject.  In the picture below, the hole spacing was  a tight 2" X 1.5".  This provides three times more holes per square foot than the Dryject spacing we have used.  You will also notice, that unlike a typical Dryject hole, the sand is staying in just the upper few inches of the soil.

Below, Dryject President, John Paddock, is keeping an eye on the process, and perhaps contemplating the next change to the amazing machine.  Measuring spacing, checking depth, and weighing sand was the order of the day.

While it will definitely take some time to see if this is a viable long-term substitute for core aerification, it is tough to argue with the visual results.  In sticking with tradition, the Dryject disturbance was minimal.  Below, is a picture of the nursery green just four days after the testing was done.


Who knows, the day may actually come, when aerification isn't considered to be a four letter word by many golfers.