Those of you that have been out to play the course in the last 7-10 days have probably noticed the off color look of our greens. I have explained our regulator program in a previous post and how we are trying to encourage our bentgrass and discourage the growth of the poa annua. As I was checking some greens the other day, I noticed a distinct line between the surround area that received some of the same spray treatment as the greens and the area outside the treatment area. I took a picture to illustrate how the spray affects the turf both inside and outside the spray zone.
One of the benefits of having cool season turfgrass around our greens is the ability to spray products which are antagonistic to the poa annua and can injure or kill it. With millions/billions of seeds being produced on our property, poa is always trying to invade into an area where it does not currently exist, namely the newly sodded fescue areas. As we spray our greens which are mostly round in shape, we cannot shut off our 3 spray booms exactly as we cross the line between the green and surround. The spray coming out onto the surrounds provides not only added benefits in reducing poa but also can protect the turf from disease and other pests. The surround areas do receive control products for disease and insects during the season but not as frequently as the greens because the turf is at least 20 times longer which makes for a healthier, less stressed plant. We sprayed a fertilizer/micronutrient package to the greens today which should have a positive effect on the color of our greens in the next few days.
In the picture below, my camera case in on the spray line between the two distinct areas next to the green. To the left of the case is the area that is coming out of winter naturally and did not receive any spray treatment. To the right of the case and adjacent to the green is the area that received treatment and shows some discoloration.
Left side of 12 green/surround looking from front to back.
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