Another rain day but actually today's rain started right after we completed brooming the topdressing application in on all the greens, with the holiday yesterday this is putting a big damper on our work schedule this week but at least there is something to be happy about. We have been so busy over the last few weeks it has been hard to even take a break. The staff is really starting to work well together now. We are trying to get into a routine in regards to maintenance of the golf course. last week the course was in great shape, we received around 1.5 inches over the last few days along with finally a few warm nights this really encourage a lot of turf growth.
Overall, I am very happy with the golf course to this point of the season. The one problem that I have been battling this year is moss on the putting green and a few spots on the rest of the greens. The mild weather this spring and last fall has only encouraged the moss to get more or less an upper hand. Our putting greens favor much warmer weather and tend to be slow growing until we have consistent soil temperatures. I really do not like to apply too much fertilizer in the spring this only will lead to excessive growth once the soil temperatures moderate. Moss is an interesting weed and thrives under low fertility and low mowing heights both conditions we have. Here is a link for some good information about moss in putting greens.
http://www.fmcprosolutions.com/portals/pest/content/docs/bmp/pest_pdf_qsmoss.pdf
I have been treating the greens with a herbicides called quicksilver to help slow the growth of the moss, hopefully this will give the bentgrass a chance to fill in these spots. There have been 2 applications applied so far this spring, The weather this year sure hasn't been a help to encourage the bentgrass growth to fill in the spots but we will continue to do treat as needed.
On the positive note our fescue program is finally starting to pay off, We have some impressive areas on the course. You may have noticed some areas that looked to be dead or dying in certain fescue areas around the course. We are using a selective herbicide to remove the undesirable grasses, There are some areas we will be seeding over the next few weeks. You can see in the photo to the right that the fescue is not harmed but any other grasses are dead or dying right now.
I also reseeded along 6 and 7 fairway in the areas that we treated with a herbicides last fall to remove the bentgrass from the rough. This worked pretty well, almost too good, once again the mild weather hasn't been very ideal for these areas to fill in very well. There is germination of the kentucky bluegrass and over the next few weeks these areas will fill in.
We are making very good progress this year, I certainly hope that all of you have enjoyed many good rounds and I look forward to seeing you on the course very soon.
Overall, I am very happy with the golf course to this point of the season. The one problem that I have been battling this year is moss on the putting green and a few spots on the rest of the greens. The mild weather this spring and last fall has only encouraged the moss to get more or less an upper hand. Our putting greens favor much warmer weather and tend to be slow growing until we have consistent soil temperatures. I really do not like to apply too much fertilizer in the spring this only will lead to excessive growth once the soil temperatures moderate. Moss is an interesting weed and thrives under low fertility and low mowing heights both conditions we have. Here is a link for some good information about moss in putting greens.http://www.fmcprosolutions.com/portals/pest/content/docs/bmp/pest_pdf_qsmoss.pdf
I have been treating the greens with a herbicides called quicksilver to help slow the growth of the moss, hopefully this will give the bentgrass a chance to fill in these spots. There have been 2 applications applied so far this spring, The weather this year sure hasn't been a help to encourage the bentgrass growth to fill in the spots but we will continue to do treat as needed.
On the positive note our fescue program is finally starting to pay off, We have some impressive areas on the course. You may have noticed some areas that looked to be dead or dying in certain fescue areas around the course. We are using a selective herbicide to remove the undesirable grasses, There are some areas we will be seeding over the next few weeks. You can see in the photo to the right that the fescue is not harmed but any other grasses are dead or dying right now.
I also reseeded along 6 and 7 fairway in the areas that we treated with a herbicides last fall to remove the bentgrass from the rough. This worked pretty well, almost too good, once again the mild weather hasn't been very ideal for these areas to fill in very well. There is germination of the kentucky bluegrass and over the next few weeks these areas will fill in.We are making very good progress this year, I certainly hope that all of you have enjoyed many good rounds and I look forward to seeing you on the course very soon.