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Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Filling In!



#1 Fairway

As we continue to aerify fairways the bermudagrass is continuing to come alive and filling in the thin spots more and more each day.  Today we spot aerifed #14 fairway as well as the landing areas in fairways #1 and #2.  We continue to fertilize these areas at 1.5 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 sq. ft.


#2 Fairway
Today we also fertilized the green surrounds with a granular product at about 1.25 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000  sq. ft.  Nitrogen is one of 3 macronutrients essential for plant health and is responsible for cell division and chlorophyll synthesis which promotes growth and green color.  This should help us accelerate plant growth a little more helping us fill in the thin areas.  We will be fertilizing tee surrounds next.

Fertilizing #14 Green Surround
Practice Area
We continue work on our IPM (Integrated Pest Management) program fighting weeds, disease and insects both culturally and chemically.  We are currently treating crabgrass and spurge in fairways and rough, and moss on the greens with much success.  I plan the make a fungicide application on greens Thursday morning to treat some of the dollar spot disease that has been popping up with a contact fungicide which will clean us up.  I will then follow up with a systemic application to give us some protection from any new cultures trying to establish.  We are also treating fire ants as they surface and start mounding as well as scouting for mosquitoes, rove beetles, white grubs and cut worms.





Thursday, June 2, 2011

Yet Another West Texas Wind Storm

This years first sign of moisture came with high winds.  Some minor tree damage, but nothing too severe.  With higher overnight lows the golf course is finally starting to wake up, mowing is becoming more frequent and thin spots are filling in!


Cottonwood Between #4 and #5
Elm #15




Cottonwood #9


 We are continuing to aerify weak areas in the fairways and rough and are nearing completion.  Once we are are done working through these areas we will begin slicing fairways.  Slicers work by using a thin triangle shaped blade to cut a deep vertical slice in the turf and soil, this creates a place for gas exchange and water infiltration to occur which will promote overall turf health, the best thing about this process is its less disruptive and will not interfere with play, you won't even notice the slices!
Along with higher temperatures and humidity comes disease pressure.  One pathogen that we see the most at EPCC is Dollar Spot (Sclerotinia homeocarpa) which infects our creeping bentgrass greens.  We are currently combating this pathogen both chemically and culturally.  For more information regarding dollar spot disease visit http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/turf/publications/Dollarspot.html


Spraying Collars For Crabgrass

Fertilizing #15 Fairway After Aerification