Preparing Greens

It is that time of year where the plants are preparing for winter. Greens need some assistance. As I have said many times, this is the most critical part of the year for turf maintenance.

Preparing the turf so it can enter dormancy healthy is crucial for spring and summer conditions in 2015.

As you can see pictured here, we have sand (light colored particles) and fertilizer (brown colored particles) settling in the canopy.

 The sand topdressing will continue to occur in light and frequent applications to protect greens through the winter. Since the growing season is coming to a close, the sand protects from traffic stress on the crown of the plant. It also provides relief to the stresses of snow and desiccation.

The granular fertilizer comes only a few times annually. These tiny particles will break down over a few days. This fertilizer aims to build the soil. When spring arrives, the microbial activity in the soil feeds on this fertilizer which in turn provides exactly what the turfgrass needs to perform.

Fungicide applications will be applied over the next few weeks. These act as an insurance policy on our prized possession's. In case of high disease pressure from snow mold, these products help curb any fungal activity. Of course, Mother Nature has been known to throw some pretty good curve balls to turf managers. We break these applications up into two different phases. The first phase is the systemic route, which needs to be applied while the plants are still growing. This allows the fungicide to translocate throughout the plant to protect from within. The second application is a contact product that covers the plant on the outside. This application is usually applied as close to the first snowfall of the winter season.