Anthracnose Update

To update you on the health of our greens, I'm pleased to report that we have the basal rot anthracnose in check at this time.  We are seeing recovery throughout all affected areas, but must be careful not to let our guard down as this aggressive and opportunistic pathogen can flare up and begin attacking stressed turf that is susceptible to infection.  

As stated in my previous post, we are continually "spoon-feeding" the turf the nutrients it requires to help recover from this disease.  We are also reducing our mowing frequency and continuing to promote healthy turf through light topdressing and venting.  Our fungicide program is being scheduled to ensure that there are no lapses where turf may be unprotected.  

We anticipate seeing continued improvement in the greens and will certainly keep you updated.  Please check back here often for updates and other pertinent information on what's going on out on your course!

Venting Greens

So far this season many members have been of the opinion that although the greens have been rolling quickly and smoothly, but also feel that they are too firm to "hold" shots.  Those that played following our Maintenance Morning on Monday will have noticed a significant difference in how the greens are now "holding" shots.  That is due to the venting procedure we completed on the worst compacted areas of our greens.  This process is a form of aeration using small diameter solid tines to pierce holes at very tight spacing and at about a depth of 4".  The tines we went out with on Monday were only .2" in diameter.  This cultural practice relieves compaction and allows for improved oxygen exchange in the rootzone which is key to the overall health of the turf.  Following the venting, the greens are rolled and the resulting holes become hardly noticeable.  If you are concerned about the playability of the greens following this procedure, just ask our very own Paul Girard how he felt playing immediately after the process...he shot a solid 69.  We will be scheduling greens venting to be completed every 10-14 days or as we feel necessary.

Here are some photos of  the venting process:

.2" diameter solid tine

Toro ProCore in action - 60 tines working to relieve compaction

resulting holes from the venting

the holes disappear following rolling, but the benefits don't

Basal Rot Anthracnose

We are currently dealing with some basal rot anthracnose on our greens.  Our greens previously experienced an anthracnose infection back in the summer of 2008.  Once turf is initially infected by anthracnose, the fungal pathogen is forever present.  It overwinters in the soil and waits for conditions to be just right to rear its ugly head.  Preventative fungicide programs must be in place to keep the pathogen from affecting turf.  Unfortunately, it seems as though our preventative program, which includes only products that have continually proven to be among the best at preventing anthracnose, has failed to keep the pathogen in check this spring.  We are currently working along with the fungicide manufacturer and plant pathologists to determine exactly what the underlying cause was that resulted in the crack in our traditionally bulletproof program.  I suspect it has a lot to do with the soil makeup and thatch buildup of our greens that prevent them from draining well.  Compacted soil and saturated turf are key elements in disease development.

Now that anthracnose is present, we must be careful not to stress the turf in order to allow the unaffected grass plants to fight off any spreading of the disease.  Additional fungicide applications have been made, and we will continue to apply them as necessary to protect against it spreading.  We will also be spoon feeding the greens additional nitrogen in order to help in the recovery by continually strengthening the turf.  We will be reducing our mowing frequency as mowing is essentially injuring the grass blades as they are cut, resulting in an open wound that is more susceptible to infection.  Another rule of thumb with turf disease is to raise the mowing heights to allow the turf to better recover.  We have not even reached our summertime mowing heights yet, so this is not a concern for us at this time.  We will continue to mow at our current height of cut.  Green speed should not be a concern as we will continue to roll the greens on a regular basis.  In other words, the greens should continue to roll well, they just might look a bit sickly during the recovery process.

Here is a photo of what the disease looks like on the putting surface:

 

We are already seeing some recovery from the anthracnose and will continue to provide the greens with all they need to bounce back from this disease stress.  Please check back here often for regular updates on the health of the greens.

"Why are our tees so green? Did you dye them?"

We've been answering these questions since we sprayed tees last Wednesday: "Did you dye the tees?  Why are they so green?  Were they dying?"  Yes, we sprayed the tees with a fungicide as part of our routine spray program, and no, we did not intentionally dye them and they certainly were not dying.

The fungicide we used was a newly available product on the market named Civitas.  This product application involves including an additive to the spray mix named Harmonizer.  Harmonizer is simply green pigment that stimulates the turf and enhances the performance of the fungicide.  The characteristic green colour of Harmonizer makes the turf appear to be dyed following the spray application.  I am anxious to see how they look today after last night's irrigation cycle and this morning's mowing.  We too are curious to know how long the "green tinge" will be hanging around for.  I'm not a big fan of this new look our tees are sporting at this time, but it does appear as though the product is performing as expected.

Mosquito Repellants KILL Turf!

Yes, it's that time of year again.  Unfortunately, the mosquitoes are beginning to make their presence felt on the course.  It's also time to remind everyone that every year we suffer turf loss on greens, tees and fairways from bug repellants.  We urge all members and their guests NOT to apply any bug repellant while standing on turf.  Please apply these products while standing on cart paths.  When in contact with the turf, bug repellants will kill it as seen in the photo below:

The green footprints you see in the photo indicate where the golfer was standing while applying the bug repellant.  The turf underneath the golfer's feet was shielded from the spray.  As you can see, the turf that did come in contact with the spray was killed by it.  It typically only takes about 24 hours for the damage to show up.

PLEASE DO NOT APPLY BUG REPELLANTS WHILE STANDING ON TURF!

Practice Range Maintenance

The grass tee at the practice range will be closed for 2 weeks starting today for much needed maintenance.  Furthermore, the entire range will be closed until 3pm today and next Monday to allow us to complete additional maintenance such as continuous filling, leveling, seeding and fertilizing bare spots throughout the range.  The awful weather this spring has not afforded us much opportunity to complete the necessary maintenance on the existing grass tee, therefore it is in less than ideal condition at this time.  Although this 2 week break will allow some time for recovery, the grass tee will still require some time to mature upon reopening.  That being said, it will be able to better handle the wear and tear from everyday use.  Thank you for your patience as we return the practice range into the condition we strive to provide and you expect to receive.

Wildflowers

The weather has finally started to take a turn for the better...well, sorta anyway, it's cloudy and raining as I'm typing this blog entry.  With the somewhat warmer and sunnier weather, we are starting to see some of the wildflower seed we spread through the natural areas on the course mature into colourful and attractive flowers.  We will continue to spread this wildflower seed mix in these areas as part of our course beautification effort.

Here is a photo of a wildflower that you'll see on the natural mound at #6 tees:

 

perennial lupine

Here is some info on this particular flower:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupinus_perennis