Going Vertical

Today we took advantage of a closed golf course to work over our greens a little bit.  The previous weekends wet weather released locked up nutrients within the soil.  Although we applied growth regulator to our putting greens the rains resulted in a flush of growth.  This caused the putting surface to become puffy and swollen leaf blades had us battling to keep ball speed up.  A light sand top dressing and multiple mowings and rolling helped us keep the greens acceptable but not extraordinary over the holiday weekend.

In pursuit of reversing the effects of excess growth we did multiple cultural practices today.  We started with a vertical mow which cuts down into the canopy, thinning it out.  This also helps cut lazy leaf blades growing horizontally.  Next we mowed the clumps left over with our standard cutting unit.  Finally we finished with a moderate topdressing to help fill voids and firm the surface.  We didn’t want to get too aggressive today so we are saving a brush and a smooth roll for tomorrow mid morning.  All these processes will aid us in getting our greens dialed in.

 A great read from the University of Missouri’s turf pathology department.

Turf Pathology Report 5/24