TURF TALK
Good Morning! It’s hard to believe that we are almost to Memorial Day. The days are getting longer, which means more time to golf, as long as the weather cooperates. We are definitely getting enough rain. However, I wish it would not do it all at once! The monthly average for May precipitation at Oakhurst is 3.5.” For this month (through May 22nd) we have already surpassed the average and are sitting at 4.11.” Granted, 3” of that total came between the dates of May 18th – May 21st. The course is definitely flooded, which caused us to have to cancel an outing and the Monday night leagues.
Memorial Day is the time when the grass, most importantly the rough, starts to slow down. When it’s dry enough, we have had the rough mower out trying to keep up. This is a regular occurrence every spring, as soil temperatures are prime for root and shoot growth. June is the time of year when this begins to change. Just think if we fertilized the rough!
Last week we began our crabgrass and weed control in the rough. We stretched our timing to the limits, but we got it right on time. There are still areas of the course left to do, but with all of the rain and standing water, we haven’t been able to apply the product. The window of opportunity is still open, so we will be just fine in controlling crabgrass this summer. In the next week or so, we will be treating the bunker banks with all sorts of goodies. The application to the bunker banks will include herbicides, fertilizer, wetting agent, and an insecticide.
The Franklin County Drainage Engineers were in last Monday and dug up the clogged drain line on #3. It was quite a sight to see, as there was a lot that went on. The line was packed with tree roots, but thankfully they were able to pull the mass out without having to dig up the fairway. The trench has since been backfilled and it is working great. The county also located the drain line that is causing the water issue on #1 fairway. Once again, the cause of the blockage is from tree roots. The next step will be to auger the roots out and relieve the tile of the stagnant water. This will hopefully allow us to patch up the mess on #1 and get things back to normal. At this current moment, no further work can be done because of the course being under water!
If you have questions, concerns, or even ideas, feel free to email me and I will get back with you as soon as possible. Have a great week!
Brian Readout Golf Course Superintendent breadout@oakhurstgc.com Twitter: @OakhurstCCGriz