Fusariummy

This year I changed my approach to topdressing on my greens. I decided to use clipping volume to determine how much and when I would topdress the greens. The idea is that I will apply sand as the grass grows and hopefully eliminate layering from heavy, infrequent sand applications. My nifty HUD knows how much clippings I have removed from my greens and how much sand I have applied to them. It can then display the sand requirement in a way that makes sense to me. Sand-O-Meter this morning before applying sand Sand is applied Sand-O-meter is automatically updated after I record my sand application into my online records. I have always guessed at how much sand I need to apply which is a big problem. Sand is now the single most expensive input on my entire golf course and I only apply it on greens! ($2000 in previous years with a target of $500 this year) Just like I was guessing how much I aerify , I decided that if I wanted to refine my sand application practices (and be able to adjust ...

Place looks better in late June that it did in May. Gotta love Junuary! In my last post I wondered if I could use indicator species to help me grow my grass at the right rate. This is only a hypothesis but is what I have been trying for the past few seasons and it seems to work from what I've seen. Either way, It's not fact and could be total bullshit. I wonder through, hypothetically speaking, if grass is healthiest (has the least amount of disease) when it's growing at the appropriate speed for the climatic conditions, what are the consequences of, say, using preventative fungicides and growing the grass at the less than optimal rate? (because hypothetically speaking the only way to truly grow the grass at the right speed is by not applying preventative fungicides and seeing the disease) The more I think about it (if my thinking and observations are true) the only real way to truly achieve the optimal growth rate for plant health (again, less disease) is to use the actua...

I get it. I talk a lot about turf disease and fertilizer but it is only because I think that the two things are closely related. More specifically, I think the amount and types of diseases on our grass are closely related to how fast the grass is growing. Not too shabby From what I have seen over the past few years of intense growth rate monitoring and reduction in fungicide use is that if we can grow that grass at the right rate, we can reduce the amount of disease significantly. The trouble is that it isn't that easy to figure out what is the right speed. Further complicating matters is that if you add too much fertilizer, you cannot take it back and are stuck with grass that is either growing too fast which can lead to all sorts of issues at certain times of the year. I have used the Growth Potential mathematical model to predict nitrogen needs, clipping volume and many other things to try and help me get it right and each year that I further refine my fertilizer timing and rate...

This is what I call "DiseaseyAF" weather This past week I gave my greens a reasonably heavy fertilizer application (1g n/m^2 (0.25# N/1000) as all the signs I had were suggesting that my greens needed more fertilizer. The poa was thin and weak from just coming out of the seed head flush and was covered in anthracnose. early signs of anthracnose this past week I took this opportunity to spread some bentgrass seed as the competition in the next few weeks from the poa will not be very high and this is ideal for seedling establishment. Not surprisingly, 2 days following the fertilizer application our growth rate skyrocketed and it appears that the anthracnose destruction has slowed which is what I wanted. I want thin, weak poa and the anthracnose is one of the best selective tools (available in Canada eh) I can think of to do that. A few days following the fertilizer app they are looking much better despite still being covered in disease. F yeah! While out changing pins today I ...

It would probably read, "All signs point to fertilizing more!" Why? Despite my lack of a magic 8 ball I do have the next best thing. A HUD (Heads Up Display)  which shows all my course data. This is supposed to help me make better decisions by automatically analyzing the data I collect and presenting it in a single place for my observation. When I combine what the HUD is showing me with my disease observations it becomes clear what I should do and what I should do is fertilize my greens more. You might be thinking what's the big deal, just apply the fertilizer already you asshole! You are probably right but the reason I am so hesitant to apply fertilizer is that once you apply it, you can't take it back. As fertilizer has such a big impact on turf conditions and the costs associated with maintaining the golf course I need to be absolutely certain that the fertilizer is needed. So far this year we have mowed less than ever before. This has big impacts on fuel use, mowe...