News John's Monthly Blog

September is normally the best month for greenkeeping, not to hot, not to cold, not to wet, and this year it proved so. Rainfall of 63 mm, with 44 mm in 5 days straight after the successful Hudson trophy. This saw a good recovery from the summer drought, but alas then only 9 mm over the next 3 weeks, until 12 mm on the last day of September. As well as being the best month for greenkeeping, it's also a great month for playing golf, ahead of October storms.

So on the courses plenty on work was required on the greens, a preventative systemic fungicide was applied to guard against a fusarium disease outbreak. HOC was raised from 3mm for the Hudson trophy to 3.25 for normal play, then at the end of the month, up to 4mm. A heavy verti-cut, overseed, top dress was followed by the first granular fertiliser since March, an organic 4-3-4 @ 35 G/M2. This help the younger grasses establish and create a thick health grass sward before soil temperatures fall and we experience 4/5 months of mineral growth. The Air2G2 was used towards the end of the month, to deep aerate, fracture lower levels of soil, which in turn help move water from greens surfaces to lower levels and into drains. This operation will now be repeated month until next May.

Tees, Collars and Approaches were growing lush/fast after the early September rain, so a PGR was applied to reduce growth. The first week of October will see these areas renovated by deep scarification, overseeding, top dressing and fertilizing. As the early September rains arrived, an application of concentrated seaweed, urea 46%N  and wetting agent was used on Fairways  at double strength, to help early recovery from the dry summer. This process will be repeated when good October rains are due.

During the last week of September an overseeding/fertilising and top dressing of drought areas around the bunkers was carried out. As we come to the end of the irrigation season the total water used from the borehole was just under 14,000 m3 of our 15,000. Only 1 burst this month, the greens value box by the 14th green. No real problems with machine, so good productivity,  which shows the value of the machinery replacement program and a great in-house mechanic.  

John Wells Course Manager MG. 

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