Prepping for Sprigs

The greens were covered for 5 days after the fumigant was applied. A 5 man crew pulled covers off greens on Tuesday and Wednesday, which took approximatley 7 hours.

Once covers were removed a 4 man crew began backfilling the trenches and plate tamping the soil. This will reduce settling of the trenches after we sod with Tif Grand Bermuda Grass mid-July. The next step will be to apply our pre-plant fertilizer ahead of the sprigs Sunday morning.

Fumigation

In a "no till" conversion from Bentgrass to UltraDwarf Bermuda grass you only get one chance to ensure a clean canvas prior to sprigging. St Ives contracted TriEst Ag to apply a fumigant (Methyl Bromide). This will ensure a complete kill of all pests in the profile of the putting green. 

 The fumigant will be applied under a protective plastic barrier and must be secured. To do this we cut a 4 x 6 inch trench around the perimeter of the green. This allowed us to "bury" the edges of the tarp and contain all the fumigant underneath the plastic.

The 6 man crew pulling, gluing, cutting and burying the tarps. 

 The Putting Green once covered and ready for fumigant. 

 The applicator pulling up and attaching his hoses to apply the fumigant. The rate was 1 lb/ 100 ft2. The tarps will remain in place for 5 days and then removed and disposed by TriEst Ag. Once the plastic  tarps are removed the soil will be completely sterile free of all weeds and pests (poa and nematodes!!). The maintenance staff will then pre load the soil with nutrients (fertilizer) prior to the sprigs hitting the soil next week. 

Conversion Begins

 Step 1: Verticut greens 2 directions

 Step 2: Aerify 2 directions

 Step 3: Drag in cores/sand

 Step 4: More dragging and blowing

Final product

Greens Conversion

            I can’t believe the wait is actually over. The greens conversion from Crenshaw Bent grass to MiniVerde Ultra Dwarf Bermuda grass starts on Monday 6/10/2013. The greens will be sprayed with RoundUp, so expect extremely firm and fast greens conditions during the week of June 10-16th. There will be a “Superintendents Revenge Day” on Saturday June 15th. On Monday (June 17^th) we will begin the “No-Till” process with an aggressive aerification, verticut and top-dress. This will ensure ideal “sprig to soil” contact, which is of upmost importance. After the cultivation practices are complete, TriEst Ag, has been contracted to apply a Methyl Bromide application. This application will be applied under tarps and will ensure kill of all noxious pests/weeds. Due to the fumigation, the course will be closed from June 17^th - 25^th. The course will reopen with temporary greens, Wednesday June 26th, and the sprigs will be installed Thursday and Friday (June 27^th and 28^th). Once the sprigs are installed the maintenance staff will begin the “grow in” process. This will include lots of watering and fertilization with our first mowing sometime near the 7^th of July. The maintenance staff will post pictures and videos, so please check our Twitter feed (@stivescc_vcsup) and follow the blog (http://vcgmstivescountryclub.blogspot.com/) for the latest pictures and info on the renovation.