Fusariummy

Today we cut all the tees and approaches for the first time this spring. Instead of using our regular triplex mower we used a walk-behind mower. The walk behind mower gives a more aggressive cut than the triplex mower so we are able to get a better quality of cut to start out the season. We will then be able to maintain a high quality of cut with our triplex mower for the rest of the season. We plan to aerate tees in the next two weeks weather depending.

This past week we have begun spreading the wood chips from the clean up of the recent tree work we did on holes 2,4,and 8. We have decided to spread them around some of the trees on the golf course. This will serve a number of purposes. Firstly it will stop grass and weeds from growing right next to the trees and will reduce the amount of time we spend weed whacking around the trees. Secondly it will keep our mowers away from the bases of the trees which will reduce soil compaction.  Thirdly the chips will provide nutrients to the trees in the long term. For the first month or so the chips will be very light and soft and it will be possible for golf balls to be lost in them. After this time we expect the chips to pack down and they should be not be a problem to hit a ball off. I have been approached by a number of members over the past few days concerned that the chips will kill the trees. There are a lot of old wives tales out there but here is a really good document that settle...

Finished Product Last week we installed a new deck on the bridge between 5 green and 6 tee. This bridge is an old tractor trailer and had the original wood deck on it with a newer layer of wood that was added on top. During construction we found the insurance papers for this bridge and it turns out that it was delivered in 2001. removal of the old rotten decking Four out of seven bridges on the course are made from old tractor trailers, the newest was installed last year on hole 7. These trailers make great bridges as they are cheap, strong, and can be wheeled directly to the site. Once on site we flip them over and cut off the wheels and support struts then lift it into place with a crane. Old deck half removed This year we used a high powered nail gun to nail the wooden stringers to the steel frame. This saved us almost 2 days of work. We expect the new deck to last at least 10 years if not more. Cutting old nails off of frame   Adding decking after stringers were attached

Late last year I made an interesting observation about how moss grew in relation to traffic patterns on putting greens. More about that can be read here . Shade makes it hard to grow healthy dense turf that can compete with moss. I have decided to study the effects of traffic and wear on moss populations on our practice chipping green this year. I have divided the putting green into plots that will be rolled daily the number of times indicated on each plot. We are using this green because in the past it has always had a problem with moss infestation due to the challenging growing conditions, namely shade, that are present on this site. The results from this study will hopefully help golf course superintendents better understand moss on putting greens and will hopefully help them manage their turf to control or prevent moss without the need for chemical pesticides. Thank you for your patients and understanding during this study.  Please continue to use this green as you normally wou...

Well 2 days have passed since I applied the Zerotol (H2O2) to my putting greens that were infected with Fusarium Patch.  Well not enough control was achieved so I was forced to apply Iprodione today to halt the spread of the disease.  I did, however, leave an area untreated from the iprodione so I will be able to see the long term effects of the Zerotol (if any). The plugs that I took as samples and incubated in my office showed no difference in the disease progression after 2 days.  The control plugs had just as much mycelium (unscientific) as the treated plugs. Unfortunately it is impossible to see this with the pictures my crappy camera takes.  Maybe in a few days the difference will be more pronounced. Perhaps the temperatures weren't right or a higher rate was needed.  More research needs to be done to really know how best to use Hydrogen Peroxide to control turfgrass diseases.

Today I had a very interesting conversation about "minimalist" sand trap maintenance with a few fellow Superintendents on Twitter. Many golf clubs these days spend as much if not more on their sand traps as they do their putting greens. I decided to stop and think about each aspect of sand trap maintenance and ask why we currently do what we do, what alternatives there are, and what is best for my golf club. Sand trap raked with Sandpro. Edges done by hand with a rake. The first and most obvious maintenance practice is raking the traps.  The purpose of raking the traps is to smooth and loosen the sand to try and provide consistently soft but firm sand. Good luck with this!  Most courses these days use motorized bunker rakes due to the speed and economics they provide. Simply put they are many times faster than raking traps by hand. They do require a large sand trap though so the smaller traps will still need to be raked by hand. Personally I do not see the advantage of hand r...

I first learned about the use of Zerotol (H2O2)(certified organic pesticide) at the 2011 Canadian Turfgrass Conference in Vancouver BC. Apparently it was registered for the control of Fusarium Patch (Michrodicium nivale) which is a major turgrass pest on the West Coast of Canada.  This fungus is active almost every month of the year in coastal British Columbia so I was eager to try it out. My first application was on May 24 2011 at 0.1L/100m2 (low end of label rate).  I reapplied again on the 30th of May at the same rate.  A week later I had to apply some propiconazole as the Zerotol had no effect on the Fusarium.  I had all but given up on the product. During this past Western Canada Turfgrass Association Conference 2012 I was talking with a fellow Superintendent and he was saying that he had success using Zerotol at the High end of the label rate or 0.2L/100m2 in the Winter only.  My interest was re-ignited. So last week I jumped the gun a bit and cut my green...