VENTING GREENS: Providing a breath of fresh air.

This morning we are venting (solid-tine aerating) the greens and collars.  They will be double-rolled immediately following the procedure, and will be double-rolled again tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday.  We typically vent the greens during a scheduled Monday Maintenance Morning, but with the double shotgun to accommodate the tournament this Monday we were not able to do so.

Our greens are holding up very well this summer, but their rootzones need oxygen right now as the droughty and hot summer conditions along with added compaction from the traffic of maintenance equipment and heavy play have taken their toll on them.  Venting accomplishes just that, it provides channels for gas exchange and enhances root growth, but without the major disruption of a core aeration.  Venting greens is scheduled for every 14 days during the season, but we have not done one since July 21^st due to a stat holiday and outside tournaments.  

We are using a different style of venting tine this time around so we completed a trial on the front of the 9^th green Tuesday morning to ensure that they deliver the results we want.  This bayonet style of venting tine produces more of a narrow slicing action on the surface vs a small round hole.  The slicing action of these tines sever the small fibrous roots instead of separating them.  This severing action causes the plant hormone Auxin to be released that causes root branching even in times of stress.  Root branching enhances root density and contributes to a stronger and healthier root mass.  Here is a photo illustrating venting tine setup, the immediate results and the finished product following the first double-roll:

You can expect the greens to be a bit bumpy today and again tomorrow, but back to normal following their 3^rd double-roll on Saturday morning.