Renovation of collars Cancel The title field is required!

1. Melvin Waldron

   

   43 posts
   
   8/4/2016 9:08 AM

   Hi all, there is a movement afoot at our course to maybe finally address our zoysia collars and transition them back to a cool season species, like bent which our greens are or rye. Being where we are and how rye doesn't handle the heat which led to this decision 10 years ago to install zoysia collars and Bermuda fairways, I was leaning toward bent. Bent is also what our "crown jewel" sister course has, although they have their collars on a greens mix and ours are in clay next to our 14 USGA greens. (our other 4 greens and collars are soil).
   
   Right now the collar portions around many of our greens are actually devoid of even a lot of zoysia, I see more common Bermuda then zoysia, out side of that Bermuda, there are actually some areas of good zoysia, mostly away from high traffic areas. Playability isn't too bad right now, it is in the winter, when poa and clumpy rye pops up (which I have caught germinating as early as late August depending on the weather.)
   
   I would think the best way to go would be to bring in bent sod, but finding some and cost are probably prohibitive for us.
   
   I was thinking rounding up would probably be best, but am concerned if new seed didn't sprout, it could make it worse. So right now my thoughts are to throw an old set of greens reels on our mower and scalp the crap out of them, then verticut, then drop seed bent and just keep in watered to grow it in. Any guesses on my success rate? Maybe spray some herbicide to suppress the Bermuda?
   
   Or do I just keep trying to keep the poa and rye knocked out of the current warm season collars and try to get them to commit to re-sodding a collar or two a year with fresh zoysia. I do see that being done in a few surrounds in the area, usually in shaded areas.
   
   Any and all suggestions appreciated. I know I have heard a lot of cool season collars reinstalled out east, how did you all go about it? I know most went to rye from what I've heard.
   
   Thanks!
   
   Mel

   
   Melvin H. Waldron III, CGCS, Horton Smith Golf Course, City of Springfield/Greene County MO
   
   
2. Steve Nelson

   

   0 posts
   
   8/4/2016 9:08 AM

   I've never done this, but what about just over seeding it with bent or rye to improve the winter playability? The cool season grasses may stick around in spots anyway and that might give you a 'preview' of sorts as to how a full fledged project might turn out. Try some with bent and others with a new and improved rye maybe. IDK, just an idea.

   
   
   
   
3. Stephen Ravenkamp

   

   1 posts
   
   8/4/2016 10:08 AM

   Mel,
   Based on your situation I think you are taking the right approach. I would scalp as low as possible and overseed with bent. The problem will be out-competing the Bermuda and Zoysia. Maybe Tupersan? I don't know if it works on Zoysia but it should help control the Bermuda. I would think you would need a continuing program to stop runners, too.
   Steve

   
   
   
   
4. Keith Fellenstein

   

   0 posts
   
   8/4/2016 10:08 AM

   If you do go with seeding Bentgrass, Pylex would be my herbicide of choice to suppress and possibly remove the Bermuda and Zoysia once established (next year).

   
   
   
   
5. Joshua Sawyer

   

   0 posts
   
   8/5/2016 1:08 PM

   I am interested as we are in the planning stages of something similar to what you are growing. I have bent grass greens in SC, 419 everywhere else...supposedly. We have off-type contamination of the bermudagrass that is so aggressive that it is choking out bent grass and marching into the greens in circular patches. We are planning a renovation of tees and irrigation in a couple of years and am going to recommend a collar reno as part of that project. I was thinking Diamond or Zeon on 6" of mix as a buffer between the bent and bermuda. I would love to hear more of your situation to see if you scare me off...

   
   
   
   
6. Joshua Sawyer

   

   0 posts
   
   8/8/2016 8:08 AM

   No more comments so far, but I believe you can suppress the bermudagrass with Acclaim in zoysia, then maybe sod some of the zoysia back in. Compaction and drainage would be my biggest concerns with the zoysia collars. Also, when they installed, did they fumigate or spray out the bermuda? Guys around me are growing Diamond greens, so it seems like I could get a collar of Diamond going, as long as we are aggressive culturally and get good drainage...I have now officially high-jacked your thread.

   
   
   
   
7. Melvin Waldron

   

   43 posts
   
   8/8/2016 1:08 PM

   Joshua Sawyer said: No more comments so far, but I believe you can suppress the bermudagrass with Acclaim in zoysia, then maybe sod some of the zoysia back in. Compaction and drainage would be my biggest concerns with the zoysia collars. Also, when they installed, did they fumigate or spray out the bermuda? Guys around me are growing Diamond greens, so it seems like I could get a collar of Diamond going, as long as we are aggressive culturally and get good drainage...I have now officially high-jacked your thread.

   
   
   We did spray Round-up to remove the rye/bent/Bermuda when we did this project back in 2005.
   
   I have always thought the compaction was an issue, along with traffic, outside of the traffic areas, the zoysia has seemed to do well. I also wondered how much our pre-emergent programs where hurting the zoysia, I mean, we would hit it early with barricade, I have since switched to Ronstar, then it get's more pre-emergent when we do our two greens applications with Dimension, then in the fall, (and probably some ill-timed as we don't control the poa as well), we hit them again, with either Barricade, or Ronstar or even last season I sprayed Bensumec, still have poa and ryegrass clumps to some degree and is always the biggest complaint I hear.
   
   In areas we have struggled, I have suggested maybe resodding two collars a year back with fresh zoysia, something we just budget, but I haven't received much feedback there. We have gone in on a couple of holes a few years ago when we redid the bunkers and replaced some of the bad zoysia.
   
   Thanks all for the other comments as well.
   
   I've also heard from someone looking to do the same thing and it was recommended to him to try a low mow bluegrass, which sound interesting as well.
   
   I guess I didn't say, we mow our collars and approaches at .625" same as our tees as we have one mower for both areas. So I think that might help play a factor as well.

   
   Melvin H. Waldron III, CGCS, Horton Smith Golf Course, City of Springfield/Greene County MO
   
   
8. Keith Fellenstein

   

   0 posts
   
   8/9/2016 10:08 AM

   Mel,
   
   any problems with mower traffic when Zoysia is dormant? They tried Zoysia collar here, didn't last the first winter as there are years we never stop mowing. Since, have converted to 3' Rye collar with Bermuda base. Rye typically lasts until July and Bermuda slowly fills in, then we re-seed in the fall. If the Bermuda starts to encroach on Bent greens, we'll treat with Prograss spring and fall and Acclaim early summer...just enough to suppress it, not eradicate. Some years we'll do extra pythium spray and gray leaf spot spray just for collars (less than half acre). Otherwise, we let the best grass dominate depending on time of year.

   
   
   
   
9. Melvin Waldron

   

   43 posts
   
   8/9/2016 10:08 AM

   Keith Fellenstein said: Mel,
   
   any problems with mower traffic when Zoysia is dormant? They tried Zoysia collar here, didn't last the first winter as there are years we never stop mowing. Since, have converted to 3' Rye collar with Bermuda base. Rye typically lasts until July and Bermuda slowly fills in, then we re-seed in the fall. If the Bermuda starts to encroach on Bent greens, we'll treat with Prograss spring and fall and Acclaim early summer...just enough to suppress it, not eradicate. Some years we'll do extra pythium spray and gray leaf spot spray just for collars (less than half acre). Otherwise, we let the best grass dominate depending on time of year.

   
   
   I do think that is a majority of our problem, we can have some mild winters and we will continue to mow some, or even just roll to take the dew off, so we do have that extra traffic when dormant. I have heard, the ryegrass used as well, we did try to get some down in the spring, but without the staff to really get it watered and germinated, it didn't work for us. But still thinking about that as well.
   
   Thanks!
   Mel

   
   Melvin H. Waldron III, CGCS, Horton Smith Golf Course, City of Springfield/Greene County MO