We're done!!!
The greens aeration went really well. The crew worked really hard and had all 4.5 acres greens, collars and approaches aerated and cleaned up in 11 hours!!! I borrowed some CoreHogs based on a recommendation from a local Superintendent and they really helped speed the process up.
As I mentioned in the last post, I held off on topdressing until Tuesday. It worked as planned although we had a few issues along the way..... Our big topdresser broke down, which meant we had to go back to the old school way and shovel sand into the topdresser, which slowed us a little. A shower in the early afternoon was enough to halt progress for a little also but luckily the sun popped out afterwards and dried the turf up quickly. I had sprayed a number of greens on Monday evening with a product that removes the dew so we could start right away on Tuesday morning (the sand needs to be dry to brush in) so even with the delays we finished up the last greens by 6pm.
The final items were to go back around and clean up around the edges to ensure there are no bentgrass plugs left in the roughs and to roll the greens. I use a 1 ton asphalt vibratory roller to smooth them back out after the procedure. It can be a little scary watching it drive up on the greens but since the greens are sand based it tightens them back up nicely without the worry of them compacting or causing issues with drainage.
I posted up a sequence of pictures to show what goes on while we are closed.
Getting started on 7 green
Finishing up on 5 green
The CoreHog on 3 green
The crew collecting the cores from 2
This is what the greens look like after the cores are cleaned off. You can see how the old sand bridges holes as it is damp. By leaving it overnight and watering it helps open them up so the topdressing can fill the holes.
Loading the topdresser by hand when the Dakota broke down......
Topdressing 3 green
The Dakota back in action!!
Getting ready to broom - The pull behind type broom works well for us, although if I had to ensure all the holes were filled completely (ie if I was modifying a push-up style green), I would hand broom and follow it with the pull type to smooth the surface.
Job done!!
This is an older picture of us rolling 2 green
Since we only get to aerate and topdress heavily twice a year, I want to maximize the benefits so put down plenty of sand to ensure the thatch is kept under control. We use approx 8.25 tons/acre during the spring and fall aeration processes. For reference, our light topdressings are approx 2 tons to the acre. The total used for the year ensures the thatch is kept under control without having to resort to more aggressive operations which would disrupt play even more and also ensure the greens remain fast and true all season.
So to answer the big question... When will the greens be back to normal? This is tough to answer considering the current weather pattern. The greens were fertilized twice last week in preparation for aeration and were fertilized again today - this new recovery program (which worked really well last year) should have them 100% by the months end, however (like all recovery programs) it depends on the weather cooperating. Right now, the long range forecast for the next week or so is for cooler than normal temperatures which means that the turf will be slower to grow no matter how much fertilizer is applied.
Today's graph from the soil sensors shows how the average soil temperatures have dipped again. So, where a week ago, we started to see the course green up with a flush of aggressive growth, now the turf is slowing up again as the temperatures are still not quite there for maximum growth. I will be monitoring the temperatures and fertilizing & irrigating accordingly to ensure the greens heal as fast as possible but there is only so much I can do without a little help from Mother Nature.....
