I like the idea of questioning what processes are necessary. I have been testing all twenty greens with the loss on ignition method to monitor the organic levels in all our greens for a couple of seasons now. With a few seasons of this information, I can see that some greens may require more aeration than others. Something as simple as going at a closer spacing on a particular green to attempt to manage additional organic matter can have the potential to be very valuable. It's much easier to maintain good levels of organics, than it is to play catch up, if things get too far out of hand.
We test 6 greens at the 0-2cm level and work to the average of the 6, but our greens are also quite uniform. If I was at a course with older greens, or greens in different environments on the property, I would think about an approach like you mention.
Yes, our greens are both older and in very different growing environments. We have big elevation changes and lots of trees and terrain that create different growing situations. That's why I love the idea of treating each green like an individual, in our case.
On a sand based putting green, in Minnesota or any state with an off season that comes with frost in the ground, would you expect to potentially see compaction? I would think since it’s sand based and we have a decompacting freeze thaw already built into the weather, compaction wouldn’t be an issue. On top of using OM246 to monitor OM, should I be taking data on compaction on greens to justify not cultivating if that’s where our OM is at? What would that data collection look like?
I'm not concerned about compaction on a sand-based system. It seems to me the nature of sand is going to keep it from ever becoming compacted, especially given you comment about freeze/thaw cycle. I definitely think that if there is any compaction, the freeze/thaw is going to take care of it.
Being sand, if your greens did become compacted, it would probably be easy to relieve with a needle-tining, or something similar.
I really like the idea of reducing surface disruption, or at least evaluating if particular inputs or disruptions provide tangible results. I have been tracking OM246 for 3 years now and have found that 5% works for us in the 0-2cm level. We eliminated in-season topdressing in 2022 and our membership and ownership couldn't have been happier with the conditions. They understand that we are collecting data and based on the results and we can make any agronomic disruptions we need to maintain 5% OM in the 0-2cm level. Thank you for challenging the Status Quo, sharing your experiences, these basic ideas make so much sense.
Very similar story here Steve. Our OM246 numbers are not meant to be a target, but more so an exploration. I like how our surfaces perform, so I'm pretty happy with the current OM numbers. At the same time, I would like to stay where we are, so I suppose what was exploration has now become a target.
Aeration maintenance must never be stopped. It is absolutely necessary. For most turfgrass conditions that are subject to intensive player traffic, turf cultivation is necessary in either spring or fall, or both. More specifically, on putting greens ... core cultivation needs to be performed once for every 10,000 rounds of play. Beyond 25,000 rounds, non–core cultivation methods, such as solid-tine, must be used in the overall turf cultivation program throughout the summer months.
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If aeration-free maintenance is adopted, expect declining & dead turf. Club officials who allege aeration-free maintenance are either truth-challenged or clueless idiжts, or both. Inevitably, aeration-free maintenance will lead to disaster !
I like the idea of questioning what processes are necessary. I have been testing all twenty greens with the loss on ignition method to monitor the organic levels in all our greens for a couple of seasons now. With a few seasons of this information, I can see that some greens may require more aeration than others. Something as simple as going at a closer spacing on a particular green to attempt to manage additional organic matter can have the potential to be very valuable. It's much easier to maintain good levels of organics, than it is to play catch up, if things get too far out of hand.
Sounds like a sensical approach Jim.
We test 6 greens at the 0-2cm level and work to the average of the 6, but our greens are also quite uniform. If I was at a course with older greens, or greens in different environments on the property, I would think about an approach like you mention.
Yes, our greens are both older and in very different growing environments. We have big elevation changes and lots of trees and terrain that create different growing situations. That's why I love the idea of treating each green like an individual, in our case.
On a sand based putting green, in Minnesota or any state with an off season that comes with frost in the ground, would you expect to potentially see compaction? I would think since it’s sand based and we have a decompacting freeze thaw already built into the weather, compaction wouldn’t be an issue. On top of using OM246 to monitor OM, should I be taking data on compaction on greens to justify not cultivating if that’s where our OM is at? What would that data collection look like?
Zach,
I'm not concerned about compaction on a sand-based system. It seems to me the nature of sand is going to keep it from ever becoming compacted, especially given you comment about freeze/thaw cycle. I definitely think that if there is any compaction, the freeze/thaw is going to take care of it.
Being sand, if your greens did become compacted, it would probably be easy to relieve with a needle-tining, or something similar.
I really like the idea of reducing surface disruption, or at least evaluating if particular inputs or disruptions provide tangible results. I have been tracking OM246 for 3 years now and have found that 5% works for us in the 0-2cm level. We eliminated in-season topdressing in 2022 and our membership and ownership couldn't have been happier with the conditions. They understand that we are collecting data and based on the results and we can make any agronomic disruptions we need to maintain 5% OM in the 0-2cm level. Thank you for challenging the Status Quo, sharing your experiences, these basic ideas make so much sense.
Very similar story here Steve. Our OM246 numbers are not meant to be a target, but more so an exploration. I like how our surfaces perform, so I'm pretty happy with the current OM numbers. At the same time, I would like to stay where we are, so I suppose what was exploration has now become a target.
Om246 is good evaluation. Optimize fertilization along with low cliping
Agree Bernardo. If we have non-optimal levels of growth, then this approach is not going to work.
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THERE ARE NO ALTERNATIVES TO CORE AERATION !
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Aeration maintenance must never be stopped. It is absolutely necessary. For most turfgrass conditions that are subject to intensive player traffic, turf cultivation is necessary in either spring or fall, or both. More specifically, on putting greens ... core cultivation needs to be performed once for every 10,000 rounds of play. Beyond 25,000 rounds, non–core cultivation methods, such as solid-tine, must be used in the overall turf cultivation program throughout the summer months.
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If aeration-free maintenance is adopted, expect declining & dead turf. Club officials who allege aeration-free maintenance are either truth-challenged or clueless idiжts, or both. Inevitably, aeration-free maintenance will lead to disaster !
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http://pesticidetruths.com/ WILLIAM H GATHERCOLE AND NORAH G
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Explore the following links ...
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√ -- AERATION -- Planning For Turf Cultivation With Correct Aeration Practices -- Post -- LINK
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http://pesticidetruths.com/2019/05/22/golf-course-maintenance-planning-for-turf-cultivation-with-correct-aeration-practices-2019-05-00/
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√ -- AERATION -- Aggressive Aeration Programs At Oakmont Country Club -- Post -- LINK
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http://pesticidetruths.com/2016/07/27/golf-course-maintenance-aggressive-aeration-programs-at-oakmont-country-club-2016-05-24/
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√ -- AERATION -- Turf Cultivation -- pdf -- LINK
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http://pesticidetruths.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Force-Of-Nature-A-Look-At-Soil-Science-Turf-Cultivation-i.e.-Aeration-2011-09-15-Golf-Maintenance-pdf-300-dpi.pdf
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Thank you for your comment. I’ll mark a tally for you under “status quo.”