Bug Spray, Sub Air, Venting and Disease

PYTHIUM - THE MOST DREADED OF TURFGRASS DISEASES

The damaged turf in the photo below is from a low area on #3 white fairway.  Pythium is an agressive & rapid spreading turfgrass disease that occurs under hot, humid and wet conditons similiar to those we had for the last week.  Even though we had a preventative material down on the turf, the climatic condions were so intense that there was a pathogen breakthrough.  So when you see our guys on the sprayers on occassion, it is to protect the turf against these devistating disease invasion.

Extended periods of wettness, heat and humidity on the turfgrass surface are optimum conditions for disease occurance.  For this reason you will see the staff squeeging the standing water in the fairway, especially in the low area where water accumulates and Pythium is most likely to occur.

Pythium on #3 Blue Fairway

Pythium on #3 White Fairway

The hot, humid & wet areas on the golf course are susceptible to damage from standing water & wet soil conditions following heavy rainfalls.  Once the rain stops & the hot sun comes out, the turf is actually damaged from scalding.  Wet areas heat up & the turf is damaged from the water being heated by the sun.  

Spraying the golf course is a necessity to prevent and combat serious turfgrass diseases.

BUGSPRAY - DO NOT SPRAY BUGSPRAY ON YOURSELF ON TURF AREAS

There are 3 dead areas on the small putting green where someone applied bugspray to their legs.

The photo below shows one of the dead areas. 

Below is a SubAir machine that we use to either blow cool air into the rootzone of the green or to suck water out of the subsurface of the green.  Both actions are implemented to provide the turfgrass and their roots the best of possible growing conditons.   Each green on red and blue has the plumbing installed for the unit but we have only one machine to use on all 18 of the new greens.  This machine is not intended to increase putting green speeds or to dry out a green immediately following aa rainfall.  It is a tool to use to alter and improve the rootzone of the green, to remove excess water or to help cool the rootzone.  You can see water being expelled from the green in the photo below.

To insure the rootzone in the greens have adequate available oxygen, we "vent" the greens on a regualr basis during the summer months.  This machine uses 1/8 th inch solid tines and pokes holes in the greens to allow oxygen to reach the turfgrass roots.  We mow immediately after the "venting" and the golfers are not impacted in any way.

Small air channels, a fraction the size of a dime, are created by the solid tines

Once the greens have been "vented" they are mowed and ready for play.