Here we go again

Your Green Section staff has been busy working on putting greens this week as warmer weather finally arrived after a cold windy and dry April.  Our focus is to remediate any winter damage that occured this past winter and to beef up areas thinned over the past two very difficult and stressful years.  (2010 & 2011.)

We'll be using a combination of cultivating techniques to incorporate seed into damaged areas as we have done in years past.  This year we've started out using an old Ryan Greensaire 24 outfitted with "JS" tines.  ("They who must not be named." or Superintendents be cursed!)

Here's a close-up of the business end of the tine assembly.

It is a slow process but the JS tine assembly creates a nice clean 1" x 1" hole pattern for the seed to fall into for the start of the germanation incubation period.  The holes offer a moist environment and protection from the drying winds.

We follow seeding with a light layer of topdressing.  The sand is lightly brushed to cover the seed and to partially fill (but not completely) the holes.  We actually want the seed to germinate below the height of cut of the mowers to the time it is mature enough to withstand the stress of cutting.  We finish up with a light rolling.  Now we wait for timely rains or an irrigation cycle AND a little kindness from mother nature.  _Mk