Topdressing in this heat Cancel The title field is required!

1. Melvin Waldron

   

   43 posts
   
   7/17/2011 9:07 AM

   Bentgrass greens, transition zone, mowed at 5/32's
   
   We have heat forecasted at 97, 98, and 99 over the next 5 days, I was wanting to just dust the greens with a light topdressing light enough to just water in. But I am concerned about the heat.
   
   Also I'm concerned with the greens getting a little puffy, as I saw a couple of lightly scalped spots on greens when I mowed Friday. (although the primo regulation had ended on Wednesday due to my 200 degree day calendar and observation. I did get them sprayed again on Thursday morning. I'm wondering if that will help control that scalping? (I will find that out when I mow greens in the morning)
   
   We did skip our last scheduled topdressing as it was the week of the 4th of July had we hosted a kids tournament that Friday and we were short staffed (more so then normal) as guys took their holidays off.
   
   Thanks! Mel

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

   

   0 posts
   
   7/17/2011 4:07 PM

   Mel,
   
   I would go ahead with the light topdressing, just be sure to water in right away and not let it sit on top and get hot. I did the same last Thursday up here in KC. My personal opinion is that as long as your aren't working the sand into the canopy in an abrasive manner (draggin, rolling, etc) that the benefit of the sand outweighs the possible negatives in this situation. I went about 1 hopper in my Tycrop per every 3 greens (probably a little heavier than I should have) and have seen no ill effects other than trashing the bedknives on one of our greensmowers.
   
   Our temps have been upper 90's up here as well and I see the same thing in regards to a little scalping when it gets hot and humid like this. I am growing penncross/poa on old (some pushup, some sand based) greens and just raised heights late last week to .140" on grooved rollers.
   
   Two other things I am sure you have already thought about, but when scalping has gotten worse in the past I have made sure that I am running the thinnest bedknives possible (hence the little bit of sand trashing them) and also have gone to solid front rollers (not at that point yet this year, but thinking about it). Good luck...I have feeling in we are in for a nasty rest of the summer!
   
   Steve Wilson
   Meadowbrook Golf & Country Club
   Prairie VIllage, KS
   swilson@meadowbrookcc.org

   
   
   
   
3. Anthony Nysse

   

   1 posts
   
   7/17/2011 4:07 PM

   We topdressed in TX from March 1st-October, regardless. We topdressed every Monday, regardless of the heat. We used flymows without blades to work the sand in. We didnt even used kiln dried sand, but that right out of the tycrop.

   
   
   
   
4. Melvin Waldron

   

   43 posts
   
   7/17/2011 8:07 PM

   Steve that was what I was worried about raising the surface temp, but I think I'll go ahead with it. The greens are looking pretty good after we beat them up last week with a 1/2" deep tine down to 6-7 inches deep. I didn't want to wait too long like we did last year with getting some holes in them. We also are sharing equipment with two other city courses and we have to work around outing schedules and the weather. We don't do much with bedknives since we are sharing a mechanic too, I'm just happy when they adjust and back lap them, let alone replace trashed reels. We have a set of triplex rollers we will go with for a couple of days if need be before we start mowing again. I have thought about getting a set of solid front rollers for our spare triplex, but then I thought since we are already up at .156 why bother. We have started during these hot weeks of mowing every other day and then rolling with our set up. Greens seem to have responded better this summer then last. Of course we have changed some other things as well.
   
   Thanks! Mel

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

   

   0 posts
   
   7/28/2011 11:07 PM

   Mel,
   
   I spent several minutes pondering whether to respond to this post. There were several replies with good suggestions and comments. I'm not sure how to reply without sounding "offensive".
   
   Have you ever shaved with a dull razor? Hurts..... along the same line of what you are doing to your greens by mowing with less than sharp reels. Add sand and it only gets worse.
   
   "We don't do much with bedknives since we are sharing a mechanic too, I'm just happy when they adjust and back lap them, let alone replace trashed reels." That is an unfortunate circumstance.
   
   Seems more and more that guys beat the snot out of their greens in the heat of the summer via mowing, topdressing, verticutting, and they go backwards. The blame then falls on the weather and how it impacts the turf. Combining the abiotic stresses of topdressing and mowing consistently with less than sharp reels with the biotic stresses summer presents and you are asking for trouble in my opinion.
   
   We experience a fair volume of heat in SoCal during June-Sept and can have "high" humidity on occasion. I lightly topdress whenever the high temps allow in June, July, August. The longest days and warmer temps push top growth especially if the fertility program is aggressive and water volume increases. The result is "puffiness". I'll topdress in 95 F or less temps, but make sure to not abuse the tissue when incorporating the sand. I make sure to have a set of freshly ground reels handy.
   
   As a note, we triplex at bench set .090 - .095" with smooth front rollers and experience a minor amount of scalping on the rare occasion during peak growing season (with aged reels).
   
   I guess what I am getting at is that if you are inflicting damage with dull reels then it doesn't matter what you do, the turf will suffer.
   
   Jason

   
   
   
   
6. Christopher Chapman

   

   0 posts
   
   7/30/2011 6:07 AM

   I have found that a light topdressing actually reflects heat up away from canopy and wilting is reduced for a couple of days. We use tennis court brushes to drag in, if temps are really high will just water in. I always skip mowing the day after and just roll, watering the greens enough to keep the sand from clumping from rolling.
   
   Chris Chapman, CGCS
   Old North State Club
   Central NC

   
   
   
   
7. Robert Searle

   

   0 posts
   
   7/30/2011 8:07 AM

   onsc18 said: I have found that a light topdressing actually reflects heat up away from canopy and wilting is reduced for a couple of days. We use tennis court brushes to drag in, if temps are really high will just water in. I always skip mowing the day after and just roll, watering the greens enough to keep the sand from clumping from rolling.
   
   Chris Chapman, CGCS
   Old North State Club
   Central NC

   
   
   I have thought several times about skipping the mowing and just rolling the day after, but I am hesitant to do so.
   The reason being, assuming that straight sand is angular, that rolling would be an abrasive procedure the day after. So usually I don't do anything. You don't find that to be the case though?