February Green Keeper Update
January has been a mixed weather month with some rain and some very cold spells. The recent frosts have permeated far down and it has taken time for the resulting thaw to drain off the greens, in fact apart from being able to swish and brush most other greens works had been suspended. We did use the oxyshot to inject air down in to the sub soil when we had a dry period but we have seen very little dry spells since and cannot see the effects of relieving the drainage yet.
After the recent dry days the greens were successfully cut and rolled and are starting to play better, we also will now start to sarrell roll and spike them in preparation for fungacides and some biological treatments to prepare them for spring. They are still spongey and moist which is not surprising but the forecast does look like some longer dry spells.
While the weather was bad we took the opportunity to start cutting back the overhanging and drooping branches across the course and removing the epicormic growth on the trees, which has all been chipped in and around the trees.
Over February we will be slowly starting to increase weekly maintenance (weather dependent) to the main features like greens , tees and fairways. Cutting them and slitting them when we can to improve drainage and de compact the sub soil in order to get good grass growth once the temperatures rise.
During the next few weeks we will also be hiring a digger and re levelling some of the paths and adding new road stone to improve the surfaces, which are now unlevelled, wet and muddy in places. Whilst we have the digger we will add some drainage to the 5th and the 7th green surrounds to dry up the areas.
February can often be worse that January so me always keep our project work for then so that when the course is not maintainable we can undertake disruptive works to improve the course.