When I would aerate in the past my main concern was to get the greens putting fast as quickly as possible. The issue with that was due to the constant mowing and rolling (which dragged the sand up to the top, leaving a mess) and managing the fertility it took anywhere from 3-4 weeks to get them back to 100% which wasn't acceptable. Therefore, I adopted the current approach, which has worked well, although it means the greens are really slow for the first week after aeration. Now that I have the fertility program dialed in (and assuming the weather cooperates) they are really nice after two weeks and are back to 100% well within 3 weeks after we've finished topdressing.
The first thing, as noted in an earlier post, is to roll them with the asphalt roller to take out all the major imperfections after the aeration process. They are fertilized regularly to ensure they grow back through the sand. I have to be careful not to over do the amount of fertilizer applied as I don't want to create more thatch which would negate the topdressing..... Irrigation is key at this point too, as it (obviously) helps the turf grow and it also helps knock the sand into the profile.
The greens are then rolled a second time with the asphalt roller to make sure the mowers do not scalp the turf. The mowing is held off until the majority of the turf is through the sand. This ensures a couple of things - firstly the longer grass ensures the cut is cleaner and therefore less damaging to the plant. Secondly, sand dulls the reels quickly, so the less sand they see the longer the edge lasts, which in turn, ensures the plants are being cut cleanly as opposed to torn which damages them.
Dew is another thing that needs to be taken into consideration. The moisture makes the sand stick to the rollers on the mowers and the greens roller. As it crosses the green the rollers 'pull' the sand out of the canopy, leaving it back on the surface, making the green look like it had a light topdressing - which obviously sets the progress back. As it builds up on the roller it eventually falls off in clumps which leave a mess on the green and especially on the edges where we turn (mowers) or change direction (roller). These require extra labor to clean up and again the clumps on the green set the healing process back as it is more sand on the surface to damage blades and to get worked back into the profile. The final item to consider is when the sand builds up on the mower rollers it physically raises the height of cut of the mower, which in turn means it takes longer to get the greens down to the proper height of cut. As such, for the first few times, I wait to mow and roll in the afternoon to avoid these problems and ensure the healing time is minimized.
I use a product called Dewcure which removes the dew from the turf. It is expensive and it does not last long so I have to time my applications to ensure I get the maximum benefits from it, i.e. when the greens are ready to take regular mowing and rolling.
The good news is we are nearly at that point. The plan is roll them again tomorrow with the asphalt roller, re-brush them to make sure any final imperfections are smoothed out and any clumps of topdressing are removed; brushing also makes the turf stand up so it can get a better cut. They will be mowed on Tuesday afternoon and sprayed with Dewcure so we can mow them in the mornings. As the growth continues through the sand I will lower the height of the mowers as it allows.
Of course this still depends on the weather and how well the growth continues. The frost this morning will slow things a little but they are progressing better than I expected considering the weather and by next weekend, while not 100%, they will be getting very close.
Lastly I made a 20 ft pass on the big practice green with the roller to show what happens when we roll the topdressed greens with dew on them. Here you can see the sand build up on the roller (even with the light dew today). You can also see the turf is lying down (which would be bad if we were to try and cut as the mower would ride over it) and finally you can see the sand pulled onto the top of the rolled turf.
The next two show the lighter color of the sand on top of the turf.
If you have any questions on this or anything, please email me alan@ledgerockgolf.com
