Lawn Care Tips

Memorial Day is right around the corner and it looks like a great weekend to get some yard work done, and enjoy a great game of golf.
The grass is finally growing and to prepare the turfgrass for the summer, there are a few things to consider.

1. The application of a granular fertilizer should be made soon. If you have some weeds in your yard you may chose to apply a weed and feed product instead just a fertilizer alone. When making a weed and feed application it is best not to mow your yard two days before the application and at least two days after. Also, the best control will be made if you apply the product to a dewy lawn and not water the lawn for at least two days. Remember, always follow the label instructions before making an application of any product for your lawn. Too much is usually not a good thing and too little will most likely not have the control you wish for. In Dane county there is a law that prohibits the use of Phosphorus. Phosphorus leads to algae blooms in the lakes if the fertilizer is not applied correctly. You can however use phosphorus if you are growing in a new yard.

2. Mulching your clippings back to your yard is beneficial. Valuable nutrients are removed if the clippings are not returned. Yard waste is a major contributor to the landfills. It is a myth that clippings contribute to thatch. Thatch is dead and decomposing parts of the plant not clippings.

3. It is always best to water your yard in the early morning versus late evening. There are a number of reasons for this pratice. You can actually increase your chances of disease by late evening watering and decrease your chances of disease by watering in the early morning. Also, watering deeply every few days is always better then watering daily. This will encourages deep rooting


Golf Course Update:

The edges of the cart paths are currently being edged. It is amazing too see the edges after so many years. We are currently fertilizing the golf course as stated in the previous entry most of the granular products that I use are organic based products. I prices for synthetic fertilizer are increasing faster then the gas prices we are all paying right now. This has forced me to really think about what we need to do out on the course. I do use soil and plant tissue testing, this does help me scientifically determine the nutrients that the plant needs and what the plant does not need.
We are also mowing the native grasslands. I am very impressed with the conversion program that we started last year. There is a noticeable increase of the fescue grasses. I am hoping that this mowing will continue to encourage the fescue grasses.

Blue Birds

Gary Guard, the Blue Bird consultant that we are using recently stopped by to check in on the Blue Birds houses. His findings; 4 nests with eggs in them and 5 houses that have a nest, but no eggs yet. I am sure that you have seen the Blue Birds flying around.

Short update in the golf course,

The ground temperature is still quite cold and with another frost expected tonight, we really need to see the ground warm up so the greens can start to grow. I am not pushing the greens with nitrogen to "green" them up. When the soil and weather warms then I will apply a little nitrogen in an organic form to help them green up a little. The type of grass that we planted on the greens is different then the tees and fairways. L-93 is the type of bentgrass that is on the greens and the one limitation is the lack of color and growth in the spring and fall. The greens from a health standpoint are fine, there are of a few very weak areas on 2,5,1,8. I do feel that once the weather warms the greens will get some color back.

As you might of noticed there has been a lot of work completed on the course this week. Work will continue in a fast pace for the next few weeks. The only major cultural measures that we will be doing over this time frame will be verticutting the fairways next week. Verticutting slices the stolons of the plants, and stands the plants up for continued upright growth. This practice also helps controls some organic matter. I am not been able to core cultivate the fairways, because of a very high percentage of rocks just under the turf.

We will be applying an organic fertilizer on the fairways and roughs over the next two to three weeks. Some people may find the smell a little harsh, I happen to think the smell is quite good. I have been using the product for the last three years and consider the fertilizer very beneficial to the plant, the soil, and the environment.

Where's the Rope

Finally the weather is turning away from winter. I would like to give everyone a short update on the golf course conditions and what our crew is working on.

First off if you have braved the cool weather you might have noticed a few things missing on the course. One is the rope; I have put out all the stakes near the greens and tees, but have not put out the rope. I am evaluating the stakes without rope to see if it will work or not. I really like the look without the ropes on the course, I guess it is up to the membership to follow the rules and stay on the path where the stake are. This really helps the cart path edges stay in great shape, I hope that this will work. I have not put out the white OB stakes yet, Brian and I are waiting on a proper ruling from the WPGA before we install the OB stakes. And, I have not put out the red hazard signage in the native areas yet. I have not done this because we are in the process of making herbicide applications to control the undesirable grasses and weeds. We recently completed 10-17 and will continue as the weather permits. We will be spot mowing some areas that are "thick" to help thin out the turf stand.

Yesterday we completed our tree program for 2008. 50 new trees were planted on 1,3,8,11,16,18.

I have also taken advantage of the cool weather by completing many projects on the golf course. I am sure as you play you will see many improvements.

The golf course in general is in great shape as the weather continues to warm we will start to see fast recovery of any winter damage that is left.

Next week will be a big week for some cultural control on the golf course

Monday: We will be spiking all the greens using the small "needle" tine. I will also start to spike the fairways Monday this usually takes about 4 days to complete

Tuesday: We will start to topdress the approaches around the greens, I will be apply a fairly heavy rate of sand to help smooth out the approach.

I would like to core aerate the new tee on 12 next week and apply a heavy topdressing to smooth out the tee. I feel then we will be able to open the tee for the weekend.

Earth Day

Here is some great education that I have found that represents what our golf course and our lawns if managed properly do every day

Oxygen and Turfgrass

Our air is cleansed by plants through the process of photosynthesis. Green plants take in carbon dioxide and water and use the energy from sunlight in photosynthesis, which produces carbohydrates for the plant to live off of and releases the true breath of life ... pure oxygen.

A turf area 50' x 50' produces enough oxygen to meet the every day needs of a family of four and each acre of grass produces enough oxygen for 64 people a day. We have just about 300 acres or 13,068,000 square feet of turf at Hawks Landing or enough Oxygen for 19,200 people.

The grass and trees along our country's interstate system produce enough oxygen to support 22 million people!

Grass Purifies Water

One of the major causes of our growing water quality problem is runoff of contaminants from hard surfaces, such as roads and parking lots. Unfortunately, with expansion and building development open space is lost to these impervious surfaces.

Runoff can be reduced by establishing new lawns and turfgrass areas. The biology of turfgrass makes lawns a near ideal medium for the biodegradation of all sorts of environmental contamination. Turfgrass purifies the water as it leaches through the root zone and down into our underground aquifers. Soil microbes help break down chemicals into harmless materials. This filtration system is so effective rain water filtered through a good healthy lawn is often as much as 10 times less acidic than water running off a hard surface.

These filtration properties are also the reason that turfgrass is used to help recycle effluent water. Reclaimed water cannot be returned to most municipal water supplies or released into streams, lakes or oceans. But it can be irrigated onto turfgrass where it's cleaned as it passes down through the root zone. Ten percent of U.S. golf courses are already using effluent water for their turfgrass irrigation.

Other studies referenced by Dr. James Beard and Dr. Robert Green (“The Role of Turfgrass in Environmental Protection and Their Benefits to Humans”) have shown a similar ability of a turfgrass cover to reduce runoff, and therefore enhance soil water infiltration and groundwater recharge (Bennett, 1939; Gross et al., 1991; Jean and Juang, 1979; Morton et al., 1988; Watschke and Mumma 1989). Finally, the reduced runoff volume from turfgrass covered areas offers the potential to decrease the storm-water management requirements and costly structures used in urban development (Schuyler, 1987). Turfgrass ecosystems can support abundant populations of earthworms (Lumbricidae) of from 200 to 300 per square meter (Potter et al., 1985, 1990a). Earthworm activity increases the amount of macropore space within the soil that results in higher soil water infiltration rates and water-retention capacity (Lee, 1985).


I have linked the source of the information, "The Lawn Source", for you to browse.

Golf Course Update

I would like to give the membership a short update on the state of the golf course

The ground temperatures are finally at a point to start seeing some recovery from the winter. I have been out making some foliar fertilizer application to all the greens, tees, and fairways on the golf course. This application is based on my current soil testing. We have several limiting factors within the soil that inhibit proper growth and development. I am concerned with the roots of the plants this time of the year. I am trying to build a strong root zone to help the plant survive the stressful part of the year. I try to maximize the soil test to the best of my abilities.

You might have seen use out seeding some of the areas in the native grasslands. I have been making a herbicide application to control some of the grasses that we do not want. this program seems to be working very well and will be continuing making a few more application as soon as the grasses start to grow.

We are still working with Gray Graud on the blue bird trail. His research with the Blue bird has been to find the best nesting box for the bird. This year he has a new design that he feels should give the Blue Birds and advantage over the sparrows and the black flies. Every year we have seen at least 50 fledged blue birds.

I have also seen an increase in native animal and birds out on the golf course this spring. currently we have: Hawks, Great Horned owl, Coopers Hawks, Coyotes, Turkeys, Deer, Many species of Ducks, Fox, as well as the Blue Birds. This is very encouraging.

I will not be core aerating the greens this spring, but we will be solid tining the greens in 2 weeks, The fairways will be spiked next week. this process will help encourage rooting and movement of water into the soil profile.

Etiquette

I would like to take some time today to talk about proper golf course etiquette and course management.

I am sure that everyone wants to have an enjoyable round of golf here at Hawks Landing. My staff works very hard to see that the golf course is prepared to the best possible condition daily. We have been working on all the bunkers over the last few days. I feel that the bunkers are in the best condition that they have been over the years. The problem that I am having is the lack of maintenance on the part of the members. I am posting these pictures that were taken this morning showing bunkers that were not raked properly. I really do not understand why anyone would leave a bunker in this condition after hitting a ball out the the bunker, it is just not fair to the golfer behind these players. Etiquette on the golf course and course management is what we were all taught when we learned the game.

Bunkers: Here at Hawks Landing the bunker rakes should be placed inside the bunker. After hitting a shot in a bunker you should rake and smooth all footprints and the area that the shot was hit from. When exiting the bunker please do not climb up and over the steep faces of the bunker and exit from the "low" side. When we prepare the bunkers in the mornings the rakes are all placed along the "low" side and along the inside edge. We do this for a couple of reasons, 1. when you enter the bunker you do not have to jump down over the face to get a rake. 2. for maintenance, it saves considerable time and money when we are mowing. If you exit the bunker from the steep side, as in the bottom picture ,it is very hard to remove your deep footprints.

Ball Marks: Always a problem on the greens. The proper way to repair the ball mark is very easy to do. Any tool can be used if it is done the right way, just insert the tool along the edge of the ball mark and gently lift the low spot up around the mark. Then all that is needed is the bottom of the putter or your foot can smooth the mark to a perfectly repaired ball mark. Twisting the turf is not necessary and just damages the roots.

Divots: I have already seen many huge pelts of turf laying all over the fairways. Most divots can be replaced and should be replaced after hitting a ball. All you need to do is step down the divots after it is replaced the same way that the divot was removed from the turf. This will insure that air will not dry out the edges and the turf will regrow. If the divot that is taken "shreds" all that is needed is add some mix from the bottles that are on all the carts or par 3 holes. Fill the area and then using your foot or club smooth the divot mix so that it is level. This is important because if the mix is not smoothed and level the mower blades will become dull from the sand. The divot mix that is on your carts contains a bentgrass seed mixture. This mix can be used on the fairways and tees not in the ROUGH areas. If everyone would repair all the divots on the course through their round we would not have to spend so much time and money using the greens staff to fill the divots.

Carts: All carts should follow all the carts signs on the golf course. We have ropes, stakes and rocks on the golf course so that the edges of the path always look good and are not worn out from the carts. No carts are to be driven in the naturalized areas on the course.

Etiquette on the course honors the game and members. Please help us in maintaining a great golf course so that everyone can have a enjoyable round of golf.

Welcome

I would like to welcome everyone back for the 2008 golf season. We still have a few projects that we are working on, but will have everything in great shape very soon. There are some white stakes on 1,2,3,8,11 in the rough and natives areas on the course. These stakes are marking the locations of the new trees. Bruce Co. will be supplying the trees and we will be planting in the next 3 weeks. If you have had a crabgrass problem in your yard in the past and you do not have to reseed any spots, now is the time to apply a crabgrass preemergant. Most of the snow mold areas in your yard will be fine, but the spots should be lightly raked to encourage some new growth. Remember to always follow the label directions on the bag of fertilizer for your yard. More of the product will not be any more beneficial then less. The dose equals the poison too much will most likely cause some damage to something. As homeowners, it is important to remember where all the fertilizers or pesticides are going if not applied correctly. For instance, the timing of the application was before heavy rainfall the product would not have a chance to filter through the turf and in this case would runoff down the street. There are many products that companies sell to address certain issues like weedkiller or insect killers. In most cases, most likely do not need to make an application of these over your entire yard. If you have a question regarding a problem that you cannot diagnose the OJ Noar research lab just down the street near PD will be able, for a small fee, correctly tell you what your problem is then you can buy a product just for your problem. Maintaining a healthy lawn has many benefits to the environment but if not done correctly you can out way the benefit.
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