Aerification topdressing brushing Cancel The title field is required!

1. James Smith

   

   112 posts
   
   6/8/2018 7:06 AM

   We all do it and I know we all do it differently. I would like to have opinions as to how you best brush in your topdressing sand and why!
   
   I will start,
   For now I use the old plywood drag boards with brooms attached.
   
   But I am not happy with this way for a few reasons. to start with I just made my greens super soft and then I pull my mats with my greensmowers leaving way too many tire tracks on my greens which takes a lot of rolling to remove. while it does get the sand into the holes it also pulls sand to my collars, which over time had raised the edges of the green by inches.
   
   I am regulated to this currently because of lack of funds and lack of crew members and I hate it.
   
   I am currently looking at trying to build a better system since I have the ability to do so but what wever I do would have to either be a 3 point hitch or have wheels that can lift the drag system up when I get to the collars.
   
   What are you doing?

   
   
   
   
2. Dustin Riley

   

   8 posts
   
   6/8/2018 12:06 PM

   I'll talk turf with you. Here's my process.
   
   1. Topdress green
   2. Aerate. I have a core collector on my Toro 648. It drags the cores to the edge of the green. Cores are removed with shovel.
   3. TB200 brush 2x to work sand into holes.
   4. ProForce Blow surface to even out remaining sand.
   5. Roll green and reset Cup
   6. Fert & or Water
   
   I remove very little topdressing sand with the core collector. Applying 1st reduces tracking from the topdresser. A good brush operator can work sand in under 15 minutes/green.
   
   For collar build up, core and remove plugs. Then saturate. Then roll slowly to collapse the aeration holes. It's not a fast cure of a sand dam. But if performed 1-2x per year, you'll notice improvement after a few seasons.

   
   
   
   
3. Andy Jorgensen

   

   1 posts
   
   6/11/2018 8:06 AM

   1)Topdress
   2) Aerify with Turf Pride Core Collectors dragging plugs to collars
   3) Shovel or pick up cores with a Core Harvester
   4)Roll/Brush with Salsco rollers with brushes, 2-3x.
   
   No wheels hit the greens for about 3-4 days after.
   
   I like you hated the rutting we got from topdressing after and dragging a brush with a cart. This has eliminated the tire tracks.

   
   
   
   
4. Christopher Thuer

   

   101 posts
   
   6/11/2018 8:06 PM

   We use a steel drag mat and go over the green about 3 times. We then use a tow behind blower and blow the sand from the collar to the center then blow the sand from the center out. The result is full holes and fairly clean greens.

   
   Chris Thuer, CGCS, Bear Slide Golf Club, Cicero, IN
   
   
5. William Murphy

   

   8 posts
   
   6/12/2018 5:06 AM

   *Mow
   *Pull Cup
   *Fill hole to top with sand (to keep old hole from any caving)
   *Aerify (including 1 lap at the end on the collar)
   *Pull plugs by hand from 5' in the green out to collar and windrow the collar (and what was pulled from green)
   *Pick up that line by hand (and any corners and areas that are difficult to get with core harvester)
   *Pick up most of the green with a Toro Core harvester (we have an older crew )
   *Blow the green clean
   *Topdress
   *1 time drag with steel drag brush (never pulling off the green, this is how the collars build up over time)
   *1 time drag (sometimes a second one is required) again, never pulling off the green
   *Double Roll
   *Push broom 1 or 2 (this works great, as you can see the holes and simply slowing down when empty holes are observed really helps)
   *Possible 2nd roll
   *2nd blowing, emphasis on the edges to have even layer to the edge of green without buildup or extra in collar
   *Fertilizer/Soil amendments (depends on spring/fall)
   *Set cup
   *Water
   
   Billy

   
   
   
   
6. Ross Grieve

   

   4 posts
   
   11/10/2018 8:11 PM

   Hi James, I am like you and hate seeing any vehicle going over a green after it has been cored.
   
   Our process is:
   
   Topdress with sand first.
   Use pro-core 648 with Turf-Pride Core collector (I love this attachment).
   Collect cores by shovel & cart.
   If applying any amendments do it at this stage.
   Hand brush in using brooms with long handles (this is key, will depend on the size of greens and staff numbers).
   Cut, groom & brush with walk behind mowers, groomers set at 50% of HOC just to clean up and left over thatch. Roll & brush with walk behind movers, I use a Tru-Surface vibrating roller for this final stage.
   Water if needed?
   Done!
   
   Ross

   
   
   
   
7. Keith Pegg

   

   0 posts
   
   11/16/2018 6:11 PM

   Andy,
   I am retired now but for many years I did the same on sand greens I just did not pick up cores, I dragged them in and then with hand blowers pushed to green sides. I then picked up and then did collars and removed all cores as a lot of sand would build up. I worked well for me. (Only works well if dry).
   
   Keith Pegg
   
   

   Andy Jorgensen said: 1)Topdress
   2) Aerify with Turf Pride Core Collectors dragging plugs to collars
   3) Shovel or pick up cores with a Core Harvester
   4)Roll/Brush with Salsco rollers with brushes, 2-3x.
   
   No wheels hit the greens for about 3-4 days after.
   
   I like you hated the rutting we got from topdressing after and dragging a brush with a cart. This has eliminated the tire tracks.

   
   
   
   
8. Dennis Petruzzelli

   

   5 posts
   
   12/2/2018 11:12 AM

   For years I have heavy sanded 1st, core aerated with tines turned in to break up core somewhat, drag in material with a Greens Groomer brush pulled by the bunker rake unit. Since it has low psi flotation tires, my tire marks are little to none. I brush the crap out of the material until just organic plug, back pack blow off into roughs and have rough mowers further chop up. Follow next day with rolling and new cup location. We usually do/close 9 greens per day. Will apply 1/2 rate fertilizer (1/2#n/msqft) 1 week before aeration, and, 1 week after aeration. Also will apply about 3 weeks later gypsum at 15#tl/msqft.
   
   Low budget, small staff, thinking as efficiently as possible.
   
   As long as the top 4" of "greensmix" are acceptable, I'll work it back in. If it was garbage, I would remove cores.
   
   Just my take.
   
   Dennis Petruzzelli, CGCS
   Oronoque Country Club
   Stratford, CT

   
   
   
   
9. James Smith

   

   112 posts
   
   12/3/2018 6:12 AM

   Dennis Petruzzelli, CGCS said: For years I have heavy sanded 1st, core aerated with tines turned in to break up core somewhat, drag in material with a Greens Groomer brush pulled by the bunker rake unit. Since it has low psi flotation tires, my tire marks are little to none. I brush the crap out of the material until just organic plug, back pack blow off into roughs and have rough mowers further chop up. Follow next day with rolling and new cup location. We usually do/close 9 greens per day. Will apply 1/2 rate fertilizer (1/2#n/msqft) 1 week before aeration, and, 1 week after aeration. Also will apply about 3 weeks later gypsum at 15#tl/msqft.
   
   Low budget, small staff, thinking as efficiently as possible.
   
   As long as the top 4" of "greensmix" are acceptable, I'll work it back in. If it was garbage, I would remove cores.
   
   Just my take.
   
   Dennis Petruzzelli, CGCS
   Oronoque Country Club
   Stratford, CT

   
   
   The sand pro drag sounds very interesting. do you see any effect from the knobby tires?
   
   I am going to build new drag brooms this winter and have no problem building on that works from my sand pro.

   
   
   
   
10. Dennis Petruzzelli

    

    5 posts
    
    12/4/2018 9:12 AM

    No adverse effects from knobby tires (also less surface area in contact with green). If your greens don't drain reasonably well, I think there would be some tire marks from soil wetness. I haven't had a problem from it since doing it, many years to date.

    
    
    
    
11. Dennis Cook

    

    1 posts
    
    1/11/2019 5:01 AM

    We use the Sweep-N-Fill brush to fill the holes in. Topdress heavy, especially in the center and then work from the center out with the brush and the excess works out past the collar. We usually follow the brushing with a set of sand reels, then fertilizer and irrigation. Then leave them alone for about four days. The sweep-n-fill will fill the holes right to the top if you apply the sand and let it dry before brushing.

    
    
    
    
12. Jeffrey Scott

    

    8 posts
    
    1/13/2019 8:01 PM

    I have a couple suggestions for you Dennis. First, make a fert application a week or so before aerifying to get the turf toughened up and better able to withstand the abuse of aerifying, topdressing, and brushing. You'll see a much faster recovery time with this process. If amendments or additional K are recommended, apply those during or after the aerification detail and get them thoroughly watered in.
    I agree with your method of applying topdressing heavier in the middle because you'll be moving it toward the edges in the final brushing pass. I have found that rather than attacking the entire green when you start the brushing-in process, divide the green into thirds or fourths and slowly brush in tight figure 8s to put the sand in the closest proximity holes rather than moving the sand all over the greens surface. This is especially important on a sloping or multi-tiered green! Once you move the sand from the high areas to the low areas, you'll have a very tough time moving the sand back up the slope.
    As you are making those figure 8s, you're right on top of the holes and easily see if you're filling them all the way or if more sand is required. At this point, don't worry about the windrows of sand that you're leaving on the green when you move from one area to another - they'll disappear when you're spiraling out from the center on your final pass.
    Brush On!
    
    Jeff