Too long

I finally got to checking my blog and I apologize for the length of time since the last blog. Much of my info has been diverted to Facebook and Instagram. Going forward this blog will be used for more lengthy detail info and the quick picture short stuff will be sent to Facebook and Instagram.

Rain has helped but leaching is on the horizon

What do you think is the most serious problem affecting the health and quality of putting greens? Most people believe that diseases, insects or weeds are the biggest threats, and indeed these pests can cause significant turf damage. But an even more serious threat is the build-up of soil salts. The importance of rain: When there is enough rain, salts are rarely a problem. This is because rain helps to leach, or wash away, the salts that accumulate near the soil surface. Rain pushes salts down into the soil, beneath the area where plant roots grow. But during periods of low rainfall, this natural leaching does not occur, and salts build up. Salts hurt turf in three different ways: The most important of these is known as physiological drought. When this occurs, the plant can’t get water from the soil, even when the soil is moist; this is because salts in the soil literally suck water away from the plant roots. The effect can be devastating, particularly to salt-sensitive turf such as annual bluegrass and bentgrass. Secondly, accumulation of sodium salts in the soil damages the structure of the soil itself. This can result in poor drainage, low soil oxygen and poor water infiltration – all of which result in even more stress to the turf. Finally, salt stress on turf makes it more susceptible to diseases, weeds and insects. The key is to keep turf healthy by avoiding the build-up of soil salts BEFORE damage to turf occurs. And the best way to avoid salt build-up is to implement a leaching program. It’s all about balance: Maintaining a balance between soil salts and turf quality is a significant challenge. To keep salt levels low, it is necessary to conduct leaching Salt damage to annual bluegrass green The turf quality/soil salts see-saw programs during periods of low rainfall. High leaching volumes (a few inches of water in an 8-hour period) of irrigation water are required to drive salts below the root zone. This is why greens and surrounds can be soggy and soft following leaching. But the benefits are enormous. When done on a preventive basis– before turf damage due to salts is serious – turf and soil will become healthier, pest damage will decrease, and greens will remain green. It’s just that simple.

18 tee is "open"

My staff finally got to the pine tree on the left side of the 18th tee. The pine was in healthy shape however its growth and direction that it was growing in prevented 1/2 of the teeing areas use. So I decided to remove the tree and now what a view the final hole has.

Catching up on a rainy day

My Assistant getting caught up with upcoming schedules on the job board.

Sod repair

My team just finished the sod replace/repair for the short game green. Give the sod a few weeks to heal.

Sniff the gopher out

Opie sniffed out his first gopher yesterday!

What the heck is a Stimpmeter

Using a Stimpmeter regularly helps monitor putting greens speed and smoothness as well as the effects of management programs. Surface smoothness can be observed as a ball rolls from the Stimpmeter to its roll out across the putting green. A Stimpmeter is a bar that measures 3 feet in length and almost at the end of the bar is a rivot where the ball will rest. You simply raise the bar very slowly and the ball will eventually run down the ramp. You take a few balls on a level surface and measure from the end of the Stimpmeter to the average of the golf balls. The balls should be no more than 6" apart. Then the same method in the opposite direction, you combine the two numbers and that will be the average speed of the greens that day. Remember though that is for a level putt, and we all should know here at Canyon Crest there is no level putts! So even this time of the year when I consider the greens fast and firm, consider where your average putts are from. Uphill, downhill, or sidehill. Ball roll is influenced by surface management practices such as light vertical mowing, (typically done every other week in growing season), grooming (everyday), changing the mowing height which will alter the frequency of clippings, how much we mow, and the big one, rolling. These practices influence how a ball rolls by altering the friction between a golf ball and individual leaf blades. In the Winter time with daylight being shorter, and low temperature, the grass does not have much chance for photosynthesis which is it mains source for growth. The green speeds usally average above 11.5 in the non growing months. However in the Summer time, there is a ton of work just to make the greens a decent speed. A typical week in Summer requires multiple pesticide sprays, verticutting, grooming, mowing, rolling, and water management. With all this we try to peak for the weekend with speeds above 9.5 feet. If you would like to see in person how the speed of the putting greens are checked come see me sometime....