these Open Championship Clubs choose to relief grind - Pitchcare

Weeds, Pests and Diseases
The only control for moss now is an application of iron sulphate,
which is traditionally applied as a lawn sand or in a liquid format
made from soluble iron powder. More recently, granulated high
iron products have become available which can be more
convenient to handle and apply.
Care should be taken when applying these chemicals, as over
dosing will lead to sward damage. Once the moss has been killed,
you will need to remove it by scarifying, brushing or verticutting.
However, do not over do it, we do not want to scar the surface too
much and affect bowl roll.
Disease: Keep an eye on fungal disease attack, and use approved
fungicides to treat infected areas.
Union Jack pattern. Dragbrush to lift sward
before mowing the square to encourage sward
density.
Outfields will also need some attention, with a
light harrow, mowing at 25mm and aerating.
Check sightscreens and covers are in good
condition. Keep records of work carried out,
core samples, mowing and rolling.
Recommission your irrigation systems and
check you have not had any frost damage.
April
Continue with pre-season rolling. Aerate the
square by sarrel rolling when finishing your
Union Jack pattern. Keep an eye out for
disease and worms, spray accordingly.
With reference to worm control though, you
will be wasting your time and money applying
worm suppressants, such as Carbendazim,
whilst the soil temperatures are still cool; it is
best to wait until the soil warms up
significantly, or when worms are active
following a wet spell.
Continue brushing or switching the square to
keep any disease from attacking the sward. A
light verticut or scarification of the square to
remove lateral growth, whilst mowing the
square regularly, will increase your sward
density.
Fertilising the square with a low nitrogen,
higher potassium feed will harden the sward,
an NPK 6:5:10+6%Fe would be suitable in
most cases. Carry out renovation to bare areas,
such as ends and foot holes.
Artificial netting facilities should be checked,
cleaned and marked out ready for use.
Later in the month, pitch preparations should
be started following the 10-12 day guidelines.
Outfields will continue to need some
attention, with a light harrow, aerating,
topdressing and mowing height reduced to 15-
18mm.
FOOTBALL
MARCH will often herald a steady rise in
ground temperatures leading to grass being
stimulated into growth, albeit sporadic.
One consequence of this is a very thin and
patchy sward that provides ideal sites for weed
colonisation, leading to an increased need to
apply a selective weedkiller.
This is likely to cause headaches for some
groundsmen struggling already on low
budgets, and having to find extra money to
increase the rate of their oversown grass seed.
For this reason, it will be important to think
about the possibility, after completing your
renovation, that you may need to complement
it with a further smaller seeding programme
later in the year to strengthen any weak areas
of the pitch.
March
Hopefully you will be well under way with
your planning and material acquisitions for
your pitch renovation programme, and
equally giving thought to how you may be
tackling the possibility of an extended season
over the need to get onto the pitches to carry
out the work.
Pitch presentation at this time of the year
remains important. Well striped pitches with
lines that are both bright and straight, and
Technical
Fertilising
Some bowls greenkeepers may already have fed their greens with
a spring fertiliser some weeks ago, but will not have seen any
benefit due to the recent cold temperatures. However, now we are
receiving some better weather, these applied fertilisers will begin to
kick in and promote some much needed growth.
Fertiliser application and use of turf tonics can be continued in
accordance with your annual programme. If you don't have a
fertiliser programme, have your soil tested; try an independent soil
analysis company for an impartial set of results.
Most groundstaff will be applying a spring/summer N P K fertiliser,
perhaps something like a 9:7:7 which will effectively get the grass
moving during April.
goalposts that are both upright with nets that
are tidy, will help to take the eye off some of
the thinner areas of grass.
Keep a look out for the visible signs of
nutrient deficiency and compaction which may
lead to the ingress of Anthracnose. Not often
a devastating disease, but it may become a
noticeable issue when encouraged by both
conditions found often in pitches at this time
of the season.
Getting your soil test carried out is now a
priority to ensure that your nutrient
programme can be mapped out for the
summer, leading into the start of your next
season.
Later this month, you will need to start
seriously thinking about and gearing up for
you renovation programme, and tying up any
loose ends to ensure that you programme runs
smoothly.
The pressure comes from then not having the
resources to complete the renovation required
by the extra wear. Keep up with the ongoing
maintenance, as this will encourage the grass
as it comes out of dormancy.
April
Very importantly, brushing, harrowing and
dragmatting should continue regularly to
maintain surface levels and air circulating
around the grass plant.
Continue with your spiking to help relieve
compaction levels and to ensure there is
plenty of oxygen getting into the ground.
Your renovations should be kicking in later
this month. Give some consideration to how
you will achieve your objectives i.e. what are
your problem areas?
How are you going to solve the problems and
what methods are you going to use to carry
out the tasks effectively? Work out timescales
for each step of your renovation programme.
Quite often there are lots of things to think
about, so preparing a plan is a good idea.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 123