OK. I know what you're thinking. Enough with the rolling already. This guy is nuts. You might be right but.....
I think I am seeing a difference in the amount of seed head relative to rolling frequency. Here's a few pictures so you can decide for yourself.
The plots that are rolled 2x daily have in my view significantly less seed head than the control. Plots rolled more than 2x daily have practically zero seed head present. Keep in mind the quality of the turf here is so low as the putting green only receives 2 hrs of sunlight/day when it's not raining. I am trying to grow moss here after all!
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Poa annua NOT rolled |
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Poa annua rolled 2x daily |
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Poa annua rolled 4x daily |
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Poa annua/dirt rolled 8x daily |
This spring my greens have never been so good during the Poa annua seed head cycle. I knew a big part of it had to do with the rolling but I just thought that it was the physical act of smoothing the surfaces that was making them roll so much truer and faster. Last week a visiting superintendent was shocked to see so little seed head on my greens. Typically our two courses had the same amount of seed head but not this year. He doesn't roll. Apparently it turns out that rolling could actually reduce the number of seed heads on Poa annua!
This could also be a contributing factor in why I'm seeing less disease pressure on plots that are rolled. Less seed head = less plant stress = greater resistance to disease? Another long-shot but what the hell.
Too bad I have to wait till next spring to test this theory out. I'm going to need a special use permit for some Proxy or Embark to compare. hmmmmmm
UPDATE: More close-up pictures
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Poa annua not rolled |
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Poa annua rolled 2x daily |
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Poa annua rolled 1x daily |
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Results after a rough count. |