recovering from winter damage Cancel The title field is required!

1. Ryan Chase

   

   0 posts
   
   7/18/2011 3:07 PM

   I have a green that just will not heal in from some significant winter damage. It gets sprayed once a week with liquid fert/biostimulants, it has been overseeded several times, planet aired a few times already core aerated in May and can't get a catch with seed. Have sprayed subdue for damping off and syringe it constantly. Any ideas?

   
   
   
   
2. Green Robert B

   
   7/20/2011 9:07 AM

   Last season our area had significant winterkill and I was able to pull our damaged greens out of it in a reasonable time. This year I had damage on one green and I'm right with you. I have done everything we did last year and more. I have never been through such a difficult recovery as this. This is a green with a drainage problem that I will not address till Fall. In hindsight, I probably should have bit the bullet and made the correction immediately. Algae and moss have choked out some of the new seed.
   Good luck - its too hot for me to focus on it now.
   
   R. Brian Green CGCS
   Sunset Valley GC
   Highland Park, IL
   2010 ELGA National and Overall Winner

   
   
   
   
3. Homme David R

   
   7/20/2011 8:07 PM

   Hate to ask what seems obvious, but have you closed the green entirely? NO PLAY. I had trouble 2 years ago with two greens. Tried all the same things you are saying, while keeping the green in play. Zero success.
   
   Full closure and play on a temp. green was the answer. It's relatively easy to grow grass when there aren't people stepping on it all day.
   
   If you can't grow turf with no play, then there must be some deeper soil/drainage issue involved.
   
   Dave Homme
   Falls Resort

   
   
   
   
4. Hardy Andrew

   
   7/21/2011 4:07 AM

   We had 4 greens affected last spring by anoxia and ice damage. The only way to pull them out was sod and closing them down. In fact we played some large chunks of time on the temps, only opening them for corporate events. We had the sod on our nursery and though it looked like crap all year last year it is thriving right now. Just have to deal with some unsightly seams but it sure beats the hell out of trying to core and germinate seed.

   
   
   
   
5. Verdun Scott M

   
   7/22/2011 8:07 AM

   I'd have to agree with Dave, last year I started my first Supt job with 6 greens badly damaged from the winter one was more than 75% dead. I was told I couldn't shut them down in the spring and we were able to get some recovery but two of the greens struggled. We didn't get good recovery until we shut them down in September. It's amazing how much better seed will germinate when you aren't constantly trying to kill it by mowing at 1/8" or lower.
   
   It was definitely a kick to the ego having to take them out of rotation but in the long run the membership realized that I knew what I was talking about and we got the results we needed.
   
   Scott Verdun
   Golf Course Superintendent
   Kenosha Country Club

   
   
   
   
6. Ryan Chase

   

   0 posts
   
   8/15/2011 7:08 PM

   Thanks for the replies guys. Unfortunately the green has been open all year and have certainly found that out the hardway. Mowing, rolling, AND daily play has not allowed for any recovery.