Black layer Cancel The title field is required!

1. Jeremy Hreben

   

   0 posts
   
   9/15/2014 7:09 PM

   I aerified my greens 3 weeks ago. They healed up a week later. Some areas got stressed out and weak, i.e. walk on areas/ other areas that are traditionally a pita. Then I started losing turf rapidly. Appeared to be Pythium root rot so I sprayed Insignia followed a couple days later with Segway watered in. Started poking around and found ABW larvae, sprayed Conserve. During all this I notice a healthy dose of black layer. This is only in the areas that hold water and do not drain. Some are push up and some are USGA. I am now spot aerifiying with 1/4" hollow tines, removing the cores and keeping the holes for a week or so. I could smell that rotten egg smell as soon as those areas were punched, and I was standing there, not down on top of it!!! Anybody have any other recommendations, other then adding drainage? I know there are no silver bullets but is there anything out there that might help?

   
   
   
   
2. Christopher Boldreghini

   

   0 posts
   
   9/16/2014 4:09 AM

   Keep coring the areas to help remove the black layer.
   
   Charlie B.

   
   
   
   
3. Andy Jorgensen

   

   1 posts
   
   9/16/2014 5:09 AM

   You are on the right track.
   
   A few thoughts:
   
   Are these areas where surface flow is limited due to raised collars? Or are they low spots on a green where water can collect?
   
   1/4" tines may seem simple as it is limited disruption, but the tine size makes it hard to backfill with clean material that allows for drainage channels through he layer. Eventually, the area will collapse causing the layer to mesh back together. If possible, I'd deep-tine with a larger tine and backfill with a coarse material to provide drainage through the later. If 1/4" is all you can get away with, it's better than nothing.
   
   I know it's a pain in the butt, but checking greens with a soil moisture meter and only hand watering those spots that need it will alleviate some of your problems in your wetter spots by allowing them to dry out without burning up the remainder of the green.
   
   I've attached an article explaining how black layer is formed and what you can do to minimize it's effects.

   
   
   
   
4. Jeremy Hreben

   

   0 posts
   
   9/16/2014 6:09 AM

   We do currently use moisture meters and hand water only needed areas. They are low areas and do not drain. I currently aerify 2x year with 5/8" hollows and topdress till all holes are filled. I also vertidrain twice a year using 1/2" solid tines to a depth of at lease 8". I was using 1/4" as a change, get more holes in the layer. I have the 648 set just deep enough to get through the black layer, about 1 - 1.5". I was also leaving these holes open for a week or so to get more air into the profile as opposed to sand.
   
   Some of the push up greens that are showing black layer are slotted for XGD drainage systems.
   
   The USGA greens I suspect were never built properly. There are other problems going on that support this theory. I have varying depths of extreme proportions of mix throughout the green. I have yet to find any vents for the internal drainage on these USGA greens. Also the supervisor of this municipal golf course at the time of construction had no prior golf course, agronomic or even basic landscaping experience.
   
   Either way, I have a problem that I need to deal with. I was also thinking about integrating a drill and fill in these areas. Maybe a dryject or anything else I can find.

   
   
   
   
5. Ronald Hibbard

   

   0 posts
   
   9/16/2014 9:09 AM

   I would try some Hi-Cal and then up with gypsum.

   
   
   
   
6. Paul Double

   

   37 posts
   
   9/16/2014 9:09 AM

   Jeremy, I have been down this road before. They had an issue with a green that had poor drainage when I got here 12 years ago and one of the previous superintendents was aerifying and topdressing trying to get rid of it, but it did not help. The problem was he was not getting deep enough with coring to penetrate thru the black layer. The whole key we found is to determine how deep it is and break thru it. To fix the problem, we deep tine areified greens with a VertiDrain with 1/2" solid tines and got down about 8" deep. We then followed right behind with JD 800s with 1/2" coring tines and removed the cores and topdressed. We did this in the Spring and Fall. Then, I would come in the first of June and mid to later August and deep tine the green with black layer with the 1/2" tines and get down about 8" to penetrate thru the black layer. We would then apply a light topdressing and used a product called Eclipse by Brandt. http://www.brandt.co/Portals/0/PDFs/ECL ... 2008-2.pdf We would then use a Flymower to work the sand and Eclipse down into the holes and then rolled the green. We did this 6 years ago for one year and have not had a problem since. We still deep tine from time to time and spike. It worked great.
   Good Luck
   
   Paul L Double
   Golf Course Superintendent
   Sugar Valley Golf Club
   Bellbrook, Ohio

   
   
   
   
7. Jeremy Hreben

   

   0 posts
   
   9/16/2014 12:09 PM

   Paul Double said: Jeremy, I have been down this road before. They had an issue with a green that had poor drainage when I got here 12 years ago and one of the previous superintendents was aerifying and topdressing trying to get rid of it, but it did not help. The problem was he was not getting deep enough with coring to penetrate thru the black layer. The whole key we found is to determine how deep it is and break thru it. To fix the problem, we deep tine areified greens with a VertiDrain with 1/2" solid tines and got down about 8" deep. We then followed right behind with JD 800s with 1/2" coring tines and removed the cores and topdressed. We did this in the Spring and Fall. Then, I would come in the first of June and mid to later August and deep tine the green with black layer with the 1/2" tines and get down about 8" to penetrate thru the black layer. We would then apply a light topdressing and used a product called Eclipse by Brandt. http://www.brandt.co/Portals/0/PDFs/ECL ... 2008-2.pdf We would then use a Flymower to work the sand and Eclipse down into the holes and then rolled the green. We did this 6 years ago for one year and have not had a problem since. We still deep tine from time to time and spike. It worked great.
   Good Luck
   
   Paul L Double
   Golf Course Superintendent
   Sugar Valley Golf Club
   Bellbrook, Ohio

   
   
   It sounds like I am doing everything you are! I vertidrain deep 2x a year, pull cores at the same time. I use either star or solid tines every couple of weeks throughout the season. My black layer is only and 1" - 1.5" deep. I am sure I am breaking the barrier.
   
   I will keep on keeping on. I was just wondering if anybody had some out of the box thinking.

   
   
   
   
8. Jeffrey Sexton

   

   0 posts
   
   9/16/2014 5:09 PM

   Jeremy,
   
   It sounds weird but I am having great black layer reduction results with Holganix. Cheap and the bugs seem to eat up the black layer. You might want to try it for 2015. I just finished my first year and the two greens I normally have black layer in have none.
   
   Jeff Sexton
   Evansville CC