As we reach the end of the summer calendar we have been receiving some comments on our greens here at Canyon Farms about their softness and them seemingly being too wet. One of the many challenges that we are facing is within our Root-Zone and Greens Profile. Below and to the right is a photo of what a healthy Greens Profile should look like, take close look at the uniformity and especially the top inch with very limited thatch buildup:
To the bottom left is what our current profile looks like, you can easily
see the differences with the overall appearance. Within this photo you can observe several
noticeable differences, first the top ½ inch where a lot of organic material
has been built up over the years and a considerable black layer
underneath. This is a result of the
organic material creating a perched water table starving the soil for
air. Black layer is the result of an anaerobic zone absent of adequate
oxygen and proper drainage. These two
layers inhibit root growth, water infiltration rates, oxygen levels, but in
turn massively affect our ability to drive water down into the 12” root-zone
resulting in a firm putting surface. You may ask what is different about 2015 and why might we be seeing this have an effect this year. Organic material does not built up over night, but it is the accumulation from the past 8 years and then magnified by the never ending rainstorms and events we've experiences this year.
Some of the changes we have made is within our water
management and cultural practices. Would
like all of you to watch this video from TPC of Sawgrass and how they manage their greens that best illustrates our process with water management here at Canyon Farms:
As most of you have witnessed in
the past, you will see my assistants and myself out in the morning measuring
the greens moisture and dragging hoses where we tend to these areas just like
in the video. With our root-zone there
are times in the afternoon that our water content drops to 13-15% on our mounds
that require more water to keep them alive and healthy, even when the lower
areas of the greens are still reading high from rains. This is a very delicate balance, as seen with
our heavy and consistent rains the mounds tend to shed the water causing it to
pool in the lower regions resulting in 25+ percentage in lower spots and still
15% on the mounds and slopes. We do our
absolute best to not use overheads unless required either by our weekly
topdressings or pesticide applications.
This week we have also incorporated the best water driving agents and an
acid based substance to help push water and in theory help dry out the surface
of the green. Additionally we have been
treating only the mounds and slopes of the greens that dry out quickly with a
water holding agent several times. This will hopefully aid us in limiting our
watering in the afternoon and making the greens consistent from the front to
the back of the green.
Moving forward we will be taking a
look and changing some of our cultural practices to better drive water through the
greens profile, providing roots with proper drainage and oxygen for a healthy
firm putting surface, these practices do not happen overnight and we ask for
your patience as we work through the “root” of the issue here at Canyon Farms. As always we strive and demand for perfection
giving you a place to be proud of to play and enjoy a round of golf.
