ECO-TEA Biological Soil Amendment

Earlier this year I heard about a product named ECO-TEA.  I was hearing that this 100% organic cost-effective product could be safely applied to turf, shrubs, trees, roses and other plant material to help develop healthy root systems and improve disease resistance among other things.  I have to admit, having hearing about products that pledge to do all these wonderful things time and time again, I was more than a bit skeptical.  The golf season and turf maintenance season for that matter was in full swing so ECO-TEA quickly took a spot on the back burner.  It wasn't until now that I've have had some time to really research the product for myself.

  

So what is ECO-TEA you ask?  Well here is some information right from the product developer's website:

• ECO-TEA is an aerated compost tea (ACT), derived from night-crawler castings, high-grade compost, kelp, humic and fulvic acids with addition of bio-activator compounds.
• In addition to soluble nutrients, our earthworm castings and compost contain a diverse compliment of beneficial soil microorganisms (bacteria, fungi and micro-invertebrates) which are extracted into the tea.
• Adding these ingredients to highly oxygenated water increases biological activity and over a 24–36 hour period the organisms in the ECO-TEA reproduce to great population sizes.

What are the benefits of ECO-TEA?

• The main benefit of ECO-TEA comes from the soil microorganisms, which aid in nutrient turnover, improve soil structure, increase water retention and most importantly increases disease resistance in your soil and on your plants.
• ECO-TEA contains many soluble nutrients including Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc and Copper. All are found in sufficient quantities for optimum plant growth.

We are now using ECO-TEA as part of our turf  and plant health programs throughout the property.  We have a 50-gallon brewing kit on-site so we can brew the tea compost whenever we chose to do so.  The brewing process takes 24 hours and once brewed, with continuous aeration, the ECO-TEA lasts for 5-7 days for spray applications.  We are excited to see the results from using this environmentally-friendly product to provide healthier and stronger plants that will be able to fight off disease and other pests and reduce our pesticide use.

Here are a few photos of the brewing and application process:

ECO-TEA brewing kit

ECO-TEA ingredients: compost, nutrient mix, catalyst

adding the catalyst prior to adding the tea compost & nutrient mix

tea compost & nutrient mix is filtered before adding to spray tank

tea compost & nutrient mix added to the spray tank

ECO-TEA being applied to greens

Again, this product is not only for turf.  Head Horticulturist, Jacqui, is excited about using it on the landscaping plant material throughout the property.  We will also be applying it to our newer trees on the course to promote healthy roots and help them become less susceptible to pests.

As with most plant health products, commitment and repeated use is necessary to achieve optimal results.  We will be carefully documenting the the use of this product and will share the results sometime next year.

For more information about ECO-TEA, visit their website here: http://ecotea.ca/index.html

Course Update: October 11, 2012

Unfortunately, as I sit down to write this update, I can't help but be a bit discouraged by the weather forecast for this weekend.  By the time it's all been said and done, we could receive up to 90mm of rain through Monday.  Not ideal weather, but I guess it's to be expected on the "wet coast" this time of year!

What are we doing to prepare for the rainy season?  I'm glad that you asked.  This morning we removed the slides from our "pond levees" that control our pond heights to drop the water levels.  This is important to realize the full potential of our extensive drainage system as many of our main drainage collector lines dump into the ponds.  These drainage outlets remain below the water level of the ponds during the summer months as we they take on very little water during this time.  Yes, that does mean our ponds will not be very aesthetically pleasing over the winter months, but again, it is necessary.  Here's what you can expect to see around the pond edges during and after heavy rainfall:

drainage collector line on #3

We are also mowing the rough down to our "winter height" of 1.5 inches since wet conditions reduces our mowing frequency in the rough as it becomes soft and the potential for rutting increases.  The 1.5 inch height-of-cut isn't a drastic change from our regular "summer height" of 1.75 inches so we don't anticipate clumps of grass clippings or scalping to be an issue.  We have attempted to go lower than 1.5 inches, but the results were less than desirable as it resulted in lots of scalping and left the rough quite messy.  In addition, we have been mowing down some select naturalized areas on the course in preparation of the heavy rains.  These areas have very little drainage installed in them so this is our best chance to mow them down without making a muddy mess.  We routinely mow the naturalized areas down once a year to help reduce and control the weed population in them and to encourage new growth for the next growing season.

You will also notice our GREEN and RED traffic markers making their way back onto the course Saturday morning for carts.  Again, when we are on "FAIRWAYS ONLY" for carts we ask that carts remain on paths at tees until you reach the GREEN marker and then immediately exit the path directly to the fairway.  Please then REMAIN ON THE FAIRWAY and only on the fairway until you reach the RED exit marker and then immediately exit the fairway directly to the path.  ALL CARTS MUST REMAIN ON PATHS ON ALL PAR 3's.  Following this system will help to eliminate any unnecessary turf damage to our rough.  Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Head Horticulturist and Quilchena's most recent employee of the month, Jacqui, has put together some fantastic plans to renovate many of the landscaped areas throughout the property.  I'm sure you've noticed that some of this work is already underway.  The old and tired plant material surrounding the pond between #9 and #18 greens had seen better days and was removed to make room for new plant material.  The small stones that surrounded that pond have also been removed to help reduce the maintenance and provide a more suitable area for the new material.  She will be planting iris', azaleas, ornamental grasses and a few flowering ornamental trees that will all complement each other.  She has also removed all the periwinkle in the landscaping surrounding the gazebo and will be replacing it with lavender, heavenly bamboo and blue oat grass.  In the coming weeks, she will also be removing the mugo pines along the west perimeter of the main parking lot as many of them are damaged and many others have grown past the point of being properly pruned.  They will be replaced with a mass planting of California lilac and "Limelight" mock orange shrubs that will provide a splash of blue blooms during the summer months and golden foliage year round.

California lilac

Many of you will be happy to hear that we've purchased two "cigarette disposal stations" for those that smoke to properly dispose of their cigarette butts.  Did you know that a single cigarette butt can take 10-15 years to completely breakdown?!?!  We will be locating one at #1 tee and the other on the balcony above the Club's main entrance as this is where we've been finding most of the cigarette butts.  If you smoke, please use them.

Last, but certainly not least, we've sent a sample of what we believe to be bryozoans for species confirmation.  The lab technicians have reviewed all of the information we've provided along with the photos we've taken and they are confident that we are indeed dealing with bryozoans.  Once the species has been confirmed, they will then recommend control options for them.  Here are a couple photos taken today of one of our pond levee screens and one of the rocks around the edge of the irrigation pond between #3 and #9:

bryozoan mass on one of our pond levee slides

 

rock from our irrigation pond covered in bryozoans

We will update you as soon as we receive any further information.

#12 Green Tree Removals

In case you hadn't noticed, the back portion of #12 green has been affected by a fungal turf disease.  This disease, called fusarium, is a common disease that northern turf managers deal with this time of year.  Fall conditions are ideal for it to develop and if left untreated it can spread quite rapidly and result in significant turf loss.  It can be treated chemically, but quite often it is more effective to determine what factors are exactly causing the outbreak and once that is accomplished, begin improving the overall conditions to try and prevent the disease from developing.  This practice is called IPM (Integrated Pest Management) and is a crucial part of our operation when dealing with turf pests.  The IPM Council of Canada defines IPM as: "A process that uses all necessary techniques to suppress pests effectively, economically and in an environmentally sound manner.  IPM employs a two-pronged approach: managing the plant environment to prevent problems and using thresholds to decide how and when to treat pests."  We put our IPM strategies to use at #12 green earlier this week.

One of the major contributing factors in the development of fusarium is moisture; excessive moisture to be exact.  The cedars and birch trees that wrap around the back of #12 green create very shady conditions and don't allow for much air movement at all.  The prolonged shade and lack of air movement cause the morning dew to "hang around" much longer than we'd like it to.  The turf at the back of the green remains moist and disease is inevitable.  

Due to the design of the green surround and the importance of the cedars with regards to playability and safety, removing the cedars was certainly NOT an option.  However, removing the scraggly birch trees to the left of the green was definitely an option and being that those were the trees that caused the shade in the morning, when sunlight is most important for photosynthesis, the decision to remove them was an easy one.  Here are some photos to illustrate the difference from removing the 3 birch trees:

shaded portion of #12 green infected with fusarium

only the shaded portion of the green is infected with fusarium

3 birch trees to be removed - 1 dead and 2 dying

the back portion of the green now receives plenty of morning sunlight

As you can see, removing the birch trees made a significant impact and we anticipate seeing improved turf conditions on the back of #12 green very soon.  We also removed a very weak cedar behind the larger cedars on the #13 side while we had the chainsaw and cleanup crew out there.  We will continue with tree removals on the course when we have the time and labour forces to do so.

UNDERSTANDING FROST

Well, we had our first Frost Delay of the fall season yesterday, 10 days earlier than our first one this time last year.  As I suit up in my bulletproof vest and riot gear to deal with upset golfers on frosty mornings, I often wonder why some golfers just simply can't accept that golfing on frosty turf can cause damage.  Plain and simple: TRAFFIC ON FROSTY TURF KILLS.

turf killed from traffic under frosty conditions

I am well aware that golfers here used to be permitted to play to temporary greens under frosty conditions, but this is no longer the case.  When I arrived here over 4 years ago, I was given a mandate by the Golf Committee as per the Board of Directors to do whatever necessary to raise the standards of the Club to the level expected for a private Club.  Simply playing to temporary greens doesn't mean damage to the turf is being avoided.  I tend to think of it as turning a blind eye to vandalizing your own golf course.  Frost does not discriminate against what turf it develops on nor does the ensuing damage from traffic on it.  Traffic on frosty turf will result in death whether it's a green, tee, fairway or rough.  Implementing a Frost Delay Policy to protect the entire course, not just the greens, was an integral component of ensuring that our everyday turf conditions meet the high expectations of our members and guests.  Here is an illustration that may help you understand the potential for damage from a single foursome of golfers:

footprints on a green from just one foursome

With regards to frost, there is something very important that many golfers are not aware of.  When we arrive at the course in the morning, it very well may be frost-free.  Quite often frost develops as the sun begins to rise and can continue to develop into a heavier frost even after sunrise as the temperature tends to drop a bit.  We do our best to update you with current course conditions as early and often as we can, but don't be surprised if the frost develops on the course while you are already on your way for your morning tee time.

Here are 3 general rules of thumb when it comes to predicting whether or not we will have frosty conditions:

• Frost typically occurs at temperatures of 4C or lower; it does not have to reach 0C as many believe.
• Clear skies increase the potential for frost; cloudy skies tend to "insulate" better, resulting in warmer air and surface temperatures.
• Wind also influences frost development.  Windy conditions can prevent cold air from settling in, again resulting in warmer air and surface temperatures.  That being said, if the wind temperature is below zero, it can be quite damaging to the turf.

There are other factors that determine whether or not frost will develop, but these 3 are the most accurate when it comes to predicting it.

I could go on and on explaining the damage caused from traffic on frosty turf, but I'll once again leave that to the USGA Green Section Record via this video:

As the video clip states, enjoy some breakfast and an extra cup of coffee knowing that you are doing what's best for YOUR golf course and YOUR investment!