News from the links
As you all know we have been having one problemafter another in regards to the greens’ conditions for the last month. We have battled several disease problems, high sodium/salt levels in the soils, high humidity/temperatures, and lack of adequate rainfalls. All conditions that bentgrass does not do well in. I have made numerous fungicide applications over the past month in an effort to bring our disease problems under control. The preventative disease treatments made prior to the men’s match play weekend should have worked, but the disease pressure was too high, especially at night. We still have brown circular tan spots on the greens where the turf is weak or damaged, mainly from the fairy ring disease.
Since the Red Wolf Classic weekend we have had 5” of rain in about 15 days. This has helped flush the high salt levels out of the root zone and allowed the greens to green up. With the onset of these recent well needed rains, we have had black algae move into the weak areas on greens 4, 5, 2, 11 and several others. Applying fungicides, verticutting, aerating, and overseeding will help correct these thin areas. We also have had the second generation of cutworms of the season to damage the greens. Insecticide treatments to kill the cutworms were made to the greens 7/21 and were completed on 7/22. A top quality 17-0-17 fertilizer application was applied to the greens Thursday, 7/23, to help heal the damage from the disease problems and insect problems we have had lately.
I have experimented with certain newer herbicides to try and eradicate the goosegrass that has invaded most of our greens. The greens I have tried these tests on are #4, #5, and the clinic green. About a dozen other superintendents have applied one treatment of this particular herbicide to their greens and killed the goosegrass without harming the bentgrass turf. As of 7/26/10 the treatment seems to be working with no visible injury to the bentgrass turf. A full scale application was made in late July to kill these noxious weeds. The greens will be less attractive for a few weeks. All that I ask is for everyone to be patient and let the treatments run their course.
Certain greens continue to thin out even with all the treatments we have applied. We sent off several soil samples from these weak greens to the U of A labs to determine what problems we yet have. Prior to me arriving here at JCC we had a problem with nematodes in the root zone. The symptoms we are experiencing on #4, #5, #2, & #11 would tend to indicate we have high nematode populations. The research data results should help us determine the proper course of action to use in order to correct these problem areas.
This was the most difficult summer for me, by far, to maintain our bentgrass greens. They were near perfect in early June then “mother nature” pulled the rug right out from under us. The greens will continue to be weak for the next few weeks. The greens will need some TLC from my staff and me to get us through the next four weeks. I plan on doing some aggressive aerification, verticutting, and re-seeding to the PG, 2, 4, & 5 around mid-August to re-establish the dead weak areas on all the greens. In the years ahead I plan on being more frequent with my fungicide/insecticide applications and utilize more aggressive cultural practices (spiking, verticutting, aerifying and topdressing) to ensure we minimize these problems in the future.
Over the next month several green collars will be lowered, re-contoured and re-sodded with zoysia to help water shed off the greens easier. Greens 1, 9, 10, & 11 are prime examples of where certain areas on the collar are much higher than the green surface and cause abnormal wear patterns and thin areas to develop. We will strip the zoysia fairway sod from the practice area to correct the thin collar areas on the aforementioned holes.
In the coming months, look for some changes to be made to the handicap rules regarding cart usage. We are going to be a little more flexible in allowing carts to go 90 degrees on certain days and areas after rain events. Frankie will be sending out a revised memo soon stating the new handicap rules.
In July our well that supplies water to our irrigation pond failed twice, once on July 4th and the second time in late July. Damage to the well pipe on July 4th most likely caused the second failure. It was repaired on July 26th and we once again have the capability to pump water into our irrigation pond. Our secondary well will be replaced as soon as we can secure a well company to drill us a new well.
Thanks for your support and we’ll see you soon.
