GROUNDSKEEPING
January
Despite this being the start of the
year, the greens are generally just
resting. For us we will just make sure
we get the dew of the greens early
morning to avoid any type of disease.
Keeping them dry, we have the best
chance to halt the encroachment of
microdochium nivale.
If we go into winter with a dry green
without to much excessive nitrogen,
then we have really lowered the
chances of contracting any disease.
If the weather is dry & conducive to
some top dressing, we will add about
10 tonnes of sand to the surface & hand
brush it in.
Maintenance of
a green
The secret to the maintenance of a fescue green is all about
timing and basic principles; my theory is to limit the amount of
Nitrogen I apply.
In this time, we hand weed greens to
avoid use any herbicide. I am a great
believer in cultural methods rather than
chemical controls.
February
February tends to be more of the same
as January. We will try to get another
dressing on the greens & if fortunate
we may be able to get another 20
tonnes of sand on.
e will also try to keep our
moisture levels constant
in the growing season at
between 16 – 20 %. On top of this we
will usually try to apply 100 to 200
tonnes of sand.
W
For me the weather is crucial to how
I manage my maintenance plan. I
generally have a strategy as to how we
will go for the year, but it will depend on
weather conditions as to the procedure
we follow.
The following plan will demonstrate
how we expect to proceed each
month, however it may fluctuate due
to weather conditions and this is only a
general guide.
14
GroundskeepingJournal.co.uk | Sept/Oct 2019