Signs that fall has arrived...

It was another GREAT summer in the lower mainland, but now it is time to welcome fall.  The change of season also indicates a change in our turf care maintenance practices.  Some routine tasks, such as mowing, become more difficult to keep up with as our summer students have returned to school and the seasonal rains and cooler nights provide ideal growing conditions for turf.  Although we provide moisture to the turf via our irrigation system throughout the summer months, nothing gets turf growing quite like rainfall.  It's like we've fertilized each and every time it rains.  For more info on why rainfall differs so much from irrigation, please visit one of my previous blog posts by clicking HERE. That being said, we are mowing as frequently as we can and will be lowering the height-of-cut (HOC) on the rough mowers this week to try and lessen the penalty of hitting your ball into the rough.

Frequency of mowing also changes in the fall.  Again, without the staffing levels that we have in the summer months, we are forced to reduce how often we mow greens, tees, approaches and fairways.  You can expect these areas to be a bit "shaggy" this time of year until colder temperatures slow down the growth rates.  Bunkers are also raked less often so please ensure you do your part by raking your tracks when you enter and exit them.

On behalf of Josh and all the hardworking guys and gals on the Turf Care crew, I'd like to take this time to thank you, the members, for all the positive feedback and compliments about the course conditioning and landscape maintenance this year.  We were eager to hit the ground running this spring to prove just what this team is capable of and I am proud to say that this crew has exceeded all my expectations.  We are already planning for an even more successful 2015, but until then, enjoy what fall has to offer here at Quilchena. 

See you on the course,

Jason

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.