Greens Sodding Cancel The title field is required!

1. Justin VanLanduit

   

   0 posts
   
   5/18/2013 12:05 PM

   Hi guys,
   Will be sodding our new putting green this Tuesday and want to throw it out there to see if anyone has any quick tips or methods that have worked for them. Will be A1/A4 on and 85:15 greens mix, small rolls. Plan to aerify frequently, as well as a dialed spoon feeding program and lots of topdressing with rolling. Have done patching on GRNS and sodded tees but never a whole grn.
   
   Justin

   
   
   
   
2. Timothy Walker

   

   0 posts
   
   5/18/2013 1:05 PM

   Patience is a virtue

   
   
   
   
3. Casavant Gerry

   
   5/18/2013 8:05 PM

   Core, roll with heavy roller .. core, roll ..core, topdress .. repeat, repeat, repeat. ... best way to smooth out micro imperfections and then dilute your heavy(er) sod to marry with your predominantly sand rootzone.

   
   
   
   
4. David Stone

   

   9 posts
   
   5/20/2013 7:05 AM

   I do not know where you are located but I would think it is getting awfully late even in the north. I think you will have to be be gentle with the sod this season. We have found it to be a mistake to keep rolling new bentgrass sod after the initial installation. Until the root system is well established, rolling moves the sod ever so slightly breaking off new roots. We saw this about 3 years ago when the nursery (that was only rolled at installation) had far better roots than the greens we were rolling regular.
   
   Good luck,
   
   David Stone

   
   
   
   
5. Hardy Andrew

   
   5/20/2013 8:05 AM

   Just sodded a green on the course here and the advice I was given was to allow heavy rooting before you do a thing to the green. It will be 2 weeks on Wed since we laid small rolls and will heavy roll and cut for the first time at .225" tomorrow. Rooting has been pretty slow and my previous sodding of greens experience tells me it will be at least a year before it looks anywhere near what you want it to. Good luck

   
   
   
   
6. Keith Fellenstein

   

   0 posts
   
   5/20/2013 10:05 AM

   Poke holes any chance you get...solid tines or hydroject will suffice until weather allows a good coring, or use 1/4 tines on wide spacing. Don't over roll or over topdress but both are beneficial at the right time and rate. As said...patience-- Don't do too much until the fall.

   
   
   
   
7. Ronald Conard

   

   4 posts
   
   5/20/2013 10:05 AM

   I'm just curious why the mix is 85/15. It seems we do everything possible to keep o.m. in check. Is that mix not a little high on the o.m. side of things?

   
   
   
   
8. Corey Eastwood

   

   80 posts
   
   5/20/2013 11:05 AM

   Apply Millorganite to surface before laying sod. It will establish much faster.

   
   Corey Eastwood CGCS, Stockton Golf & CC, Retired
   
   
9. Casavant Gerry

   
   5/22/2013 6:05 AM

   Though I stand by my methods used successfully with two green rebuilds at my course, I MUST add after reviewing posts that the sod must be established and rooted sufficiently before my aggressive tactics.
   We have done our rebuilds in late summer/fall including sod laying with initial rolling by hand with water ballast units. Come spring/early summer, when sod is rooted well and growth is active we begin bringing the hoc down and go into aerification/rolling/topdressing activities. Must also add we are in a mild winter north pacific coastal rainforest area which helps with establishment of rooting in fall/early winter.

   
   
   
   
10. Patrick Finlen

    

    4 posts
    
    5/22/2013 8:05 AM

    Justin,
    You have received some very good comments. I will add a few more for whatever it is worth.
    We have sodded over 45 greens in the last four years. Look for a good preplant. We have used
    one lb of 15-15-15 as well as Earthworks Renovate Plus at 25 lbs per 1000. Roll the day the sod goes down and not again for 2-3 weeks depending upon rooting. Make sure your roller is going very slow and reversing direction off the green. It is very easy to do some damage with the roller. We topdressed within a week and started mowing as well within 7 days. In many cases we were able to open the green withing 30-45 days. We are not in the hot humid environment you are so this was pretty easy to do. Aeration with 1/4 solid 6-8 times the first year. We are now using 1/4" side eject along with the solid tines. Be careful in the summer months. Even with deep roots, it a different environment than an established green.
    
    Pat Finlen
    The Olympic Club
    San Francisco

    
    
    
    
11. Dustin Riley

    

    8 posts
    
    5/23/2013 6:05 AM

    Justin,
    
    I'd like to offer this little tidbit. Call up your Reinders rep and get CytoGrow tablets. Cytokinen Extract (seaweed). The tablets fit in a wetting agent gun. Hand water your sod with the CytoGrow about every 7-10 days and the sod will root faster than anything you've ever seen. It is a tool I will never do without with any sodding project. Phenomenal!

    
    
    
    
12. Justin VanLanduit

    

    0 posts
    
    5/23/2013 10:05 AM

    Guys,
    
    I'd like to thank everyone for their suggestions and guidance. Sod was laid yesterday, we put down GroWin 5-1-2 soil admendment prior to laying sod. As sod was being laid we were pulling a walk roller with a little water weight in it to get the sod and roots completely touching the mix. Fortunately for us as we were laying the sod we had a nice slow rainfall coming down give all a good watering, and another shower last night. I'm very happy to see that the next 4 days here in Chicago aren't supposed to be about 70's degrees, plant can put more energy into pushing its roots! Next week we'll probably start looking at light topdressing as well as running a mower over to more or less roll, maybe get a little cut on it.
    
    Thanks again for all input and I'll be referencing this thread for ideas as the growing in process takes place.
    
    Justin