greens mowing with no baskets Cancel The title field is required!

1. Kim Brock

   

   3 posts
   
   5/30/2012 9:05 PM

   Would there be any adverse effects to greens if 2 times per week you mowed them with out baskets? I know we remove a lot of nutrients when using baskets so returning part of the nutrients may be beneficial. It might take longer to mow since clumping might occur on greens surface. Thanks for your thoughts. KIM

   
   
   
   
2. Joe Brophy

   

   0 posts
   
   5/31/2012 9:05 AM

   extra Thatch would not be worth the nutrients you would save.

   
   
   
   
3. Dennis Cook

   

   1 posts
   
   5/31/2012 10:05 AM

   Joe Brophy said: extra Thatch would not be worth the nutrients you would save.

   
   
   I thought leaf tissue does not contribute to thatch. Its caused from shoots, stems and roots.

   
   
   
   
4. Baker Daniel

   
   5/31/2012 10:05 AM

   Kim,
   
   You could do the math to figure out exactly how much nutrient you are removing with the daily collection of your clippings if you had a tissue analysis. Then you could put some quantifiable numbers to the amounts you may be saving. With organic matter buildup being an issue on greens, I would shy away from leaving the clippings. OM is good to a point but can have adverse effects when perched at the top of the root zone. Your clippings would have no path to inflitrate the soil and over time you may add to the layering effect in the upper root zone.
   
   As for clumping, we mow without baskets after we topdress to keep from removing sand from the surface. ( I am in love with my topdresser and put out astronomical amounts of sand ) We actually see that there is less clumping when mowing without baskets.
   
   Good luck!

   
   
   
   
5. James Smith

   

   112 posts
   
   5/31/2012 12:05 PM

   Dew Whips will get rid of the clumps!

   
   
   
   
6. Melvin Waldron

   

   43 posts
   
   5/31/2012 2:05 PM

   James Smith said: Dew Whips will get rid of the clumps!

   
   
   Does anyone still use those? My guys look at me funny when I send them out with them, they know we are the only one of our city courses that will still use them at times.
   
   Mel

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

   

   0 posts
   
   6/1/2012 4:06 AM

   Dennis Cook said:

   Joe Brophy said: extra Thatch would not be worth the nutrients you would save.

   
   
   I thought leaf tissue does not contribute to thatch. Its caused from shoots, stems and roots.

   
   Wow Dennis, You've come a long way....you are correct. Other than ryegrass, clippings do not add to thatch. Rye has a high lignin content in the leaves that does not break down as readily as other grasses.
   I'm not really that smart. It's just one of those useless items that was retained from Penn

   
   
   
   
8. Sean Hoolehan

   

   0 posts
   
   6/2/2012 8:06 AM

   Melvin Waldron, CGCS said:

   James Smith said: Dew Whips will get rid of the clumps!

   
   
   Does anyone still use those? My guys look at me funny when I send them out with them, they know we are the only one of our city courses that will still use them at times.
   
   Mel

   
   
   
   Everyday our mowers carry a whip and are expected to clean up any clumps that pop up after mowing.