Even though rain will not come for a few more months we certainly start thinking about it and hoping for that rare chance of a passing shower. As we continue to put irrigation water on the course we are making the soil less desirable for plants to grow due to our water having high levels of sodium and bicarbonates. When the sodium gets too high it will desiccate the plant’s cell walls and potentially kill the plant. Excess bicarbonates hinder the soil’s natural ability to flush the sodium away from the roots. To combat this, we have a flushing program to remove the sodium from the soil.
We flush the greens monthly. A flush is when we irrigate the greens all night to get the water flowing through the soil profile and into the drains. The morning before is when we apply humic acids, gypsum, calcium and a wetting agent that are designed to pull the sodium and bicarbonates away from the roots, through the soil and into the drains. The day after the greens and their surrounds are wet but the results are well worth it.
Last week we aerated the greens with small diameter deep tines to help the flush. The five inch deep channels created by the tines help to move the unwanted sodium deeper into the green.
The best way to flush the contaminates out of the soil is with a good rain storm. That is why most Superintendents can’t wait for that first rain cloud to pass over the course.
Sonoma Agronomy 