Now that Spring aeration is behind us for 2014, I figured an update and what to expect over the next week or so is in order. Even with the delays during the week, we were able to finish all the aeration by Thursday evening. The crew, as always, pulled together to ensure all the aeration and clean-up was completed while we were closed. The only item left is to topdress tees, which is something we can get done early next week as it does not take long.
15 green after topdressing and brooming
The greens were wet from Tuesday's rain so the conditions, while not perfect, were good enough to proceed. We had some bridging of the holes. This happens when the the soil being removed is wet and it sticks to the top of the aeration hole. It is frustrating as it prevents the topdressing from entering the holes. The brooming usually loosens it up and helps a lot of the sand fall into the hole. We use a 1 ton asphalt roller on the greens to smooth them once we are finished brooming and the vibrating from it helps make the rest of the sand work its way in. Until this happens the topdressing can look heavy in spots. We plan to use the big roller one more time and once it is finished we will brush the greens again. This will move any excess sand around, fill any open holes and smooth the surface. At this point the growth will be at a point where it also helps stand the grass up more through the sand.
Some heavier pockets of sand that will be removed after the final rolling
We had to delay a fertilization last week as we didn't have irrigation to water it in, but it was applied yesterday. We also added fertilizer/soil amendments to the soil before we topdress; this also helps recovery while providing food for the turf for the summer stress.
Rooting looks good
A cross section of the greens currently. The current and last topdressing can be seen near the surface along with a deep tine hole (light sand) from last year. The roots in the light sand are more prolific showing how well aeration works.
We are irrigating the greens regularly and will be for most of next week to help speed up the recovery. This results in some extra wetness around the greens so I apologize for the softness while they heal.
Next week the greens will be fertilized more to speed up the recovery. We will roll with the asphalt roller one more time, before switching to the regular greens rollers. We will mow once the grass is fully through the sand and the mowing frequency will increase as growth allows. At this point rolling and mowing will be done when it's dry as I explained here last year. Once there is enough grass showing we will apply Dewcure; this prevents dew from forming, meaning we can perform our tasks and not worry about picking sand up. Dewcure only works on the turf so applying it when there is a lot of sand is a waste.
Mother Nature controls the remaining aspects of recovery, namely temperature and rainfall. The forecast looks decent and the soil temperatures, while not ideal, are currently pretty good. If things go as planned, recovery will also!
The irrigation pond has been refilling and should be close to being full by Monday. The electronics in the irrigation satellites have been acting up since we fired it up. They are turning on heads that shouldn't be on, not turning off heads and in some cases not working at all. For example, 5 tee seemed to be running fine this morning but ended up running for 2 hours. John has had a long week firing the system up and trouble shooting the electronics. We have new parts on order so hopefully as soon as they come in, all the issues we are having should be resolved.
As always, if you have any questions please let me know: alan@ledgerockgolf.com
