A Tip of the Hat

At 6pm, on Monday the 15th, Meadowbrook received a whopping 1.25" in a 30 minute span.  Periodic rains through the rest of the night brought the total rainfall to the Northville area up to 1.7".  July has already been a wet month, with the total precipitation recorded by the MCC weather station at just under 3".  90 degree weather and high humidity has also set in, skyrocketing disease pressure and increasing the chances of losing grass in completely saturated areas (we're looking at you, bottom of 12 fairway).  The following are some of the tasks that the crew will complete today to keep the course playable and the turf alive:

• Repairing Bunkers- During a heavy rainfall, bunker sand on the flashings and sides will wash down into the middle of the hazard.  The only solution for this is manually shoveling or pushing the sand back on to the sides.  With the heat and humidity, this already labor intensive process becomes even more unpleasant. 
• Removing Standing Water- Water remaining on the surface can suffocate turf if left unchecked.  These saturated soil conditions can also lead to infection by two of the most devastating fungal diseases; Pythium and Anthracnose.  The crew will use multiple tactics to be rid of this water such as pumps, probing for drainage lines (gives the water a clear path to the drainage line and off the surface) and roller squeegees.  The crew member assigned to this job rarely escapes with dry feet. 
• Needle Tining Greens- Because of the saturated conditions, black layer has been observed on the putter.  Black layer, as the name suggests, is a layer through the rootzone that has stayed saturated for an extended period of time.  Aerobic respiration byproducts include carbon dioxide and water.  However, without the presence of oxygen, the anaerobic bacteria that inhabit this layer produce hydrogen sulfide (H2S as opposed to H20).  Hydrogen sulfide is a toxin more poisonous than hydrogen cyanide and is thought to be an attributing factor to the decline of turf in the area.  Also, black layer prevents the percolation of water through the rootzone, leaving greens soft and slow.  Needle tining (smaller aerification holes) is utilized to reintroduce oxygen back into this layer, hopefully decreasing the amount of sulfur reduction in the soil (sulfur reducing bacteria are extremely sensitive to even trace amounts of oxygen).  To be on the safe side, the crew will perform this practice to all the greens. 
• Walk Mowing Greens- While this is done everyday it becomes even more important when conditions are soft.  The lightweight mowers minimize the chances of scalping the greens.  The only reason it is mentioned now is that the average green set requires the crew member to walk about 4 miles...in already 80 degree heat and 80% humidity. 
• Additional Spray Applications- Because of the increase in disease pressure, an additional spray application will be made on greens to combat the conditions. 

A tip of the hat to the crew is in order.  Battling heat, humidity and play, the crew has kept the course playable and in good shape.  We encourage the members to play but stay hydrated and use caution when carts are again allowed on the course.  Enjoy. 

Mavis Consulting; Topdressing Study

Over the past 3 years, Meadowbrook CC has participated in a topdressing study performed by Brian Mavis of Mavis Consulting.  The purpose of the study was to determine the amount of sand remaining after a topdressing application, the physical properties of that sand and the different means of working the sand into the rootzone. 
During a normal topdressing, sand is applied and than worked into the rootzone through the use of various methods including verti-cut units, drag brushes and irrigation.  When the greens are mowed the following day, the yield from the mowers usually have a certain amount of sand in the baskets that catch the clippings.  For the purposes of the study, the sand and grass clippings are separated after each mowing (members may have noticed the grass piles on cart paths) for 3 days after a topdressing event.  The collected sand is than tested to determine which particle denominations were not worked into the rootzone and the total amount collected over 3 days compared to the amount applied. 
How is this information relevant to members?  Previous articles have mentioned the benefits of topdressing but as a quick reminder, topdressing benefits include;

• Surface Infiltration
• Stability and Firmness
• Smoothness of the Putting Surface
• Green Speeds (not immediately but firmer greens usually are faster greens)

The more the crew knows about how the sand works in, which particles remain and acceptable rates of application, the more efficient they become in the application process.  The study has shown that an insignificant amount (<1%) remains on the green surface after a topdressing.  The physical properties of this sand show that the individual particles remaining are of the coarser variety (larger particles) and it makes senses that these are the hardest to work through the turf canopy.  While these particles are wanted in the rootzone, there is such a small amount of them collected that it can be assumed that the majority have worked their way into the greens.  As this study progresses, the best methods of application and rates can be determined, benefiting the members in terms of minimizing the disruption of the putting surfaces during season.  Enjoy.