Cart Path Edging
We were able to complete the edging of our cart paths last week. This is a multi-day process as it involves disc edging the paths with our SandPro and disc attachment followed by crew members using shovels to pick up the overgrown turf. Taking the time to edge the paths contributes to the overall look of the course, especially as we prep for upcoming tournaments.
Flushing of Greens
Timing is an important element to many of our agronomic practices. An example of this was our application of gypsum to the greens before we received our rain last week. Applying this granular product prior to rainfall takes advantage of the reason for application: the Calcium — gypsum — followed by precipitation (or irrigation), allows the salts that have built up in the root zone to leach below the plant profile. This “flushing” contributes to overall plant health by increasing air space around the roots and enabling water filtration from the plant down through the soil.
We also applied organic materials with our spray rig on the same day that benefit from a green’s flush. This spray is designed to sequester the excess sodium and bicarbonates in the soil root zone and pull them out of the soil and away from the root system. Bicarbonates seal the soil surface and inhibit the exchange of air and water through the soil making the soil less desirable to the plant. The application of gypsum and these products are both designed to improve the soil conditions within the root zone of the plant.
Rainfall
The maintenance crew – along with you, for certain – are hopeful for warmer temperatures soon. Thankfully, we have recently received some precipitation, which brings our rain total for the season to 14.7”. By comparison, last year on this date we had 49”. The recent rainfall has been enough that the creek on Hole 7 is flowing, and we are taking advantage of that by pumping that “free” water into our storage ponds on Holes 13 and 14 for irrigation use in the summer.
Thank you for your time in reading our weekly maintenance updates on the blog. We take pride in doing our best in caring for the golf course and aim to keep you updated here each week.
Sonoma Agronomy 