Day 43 (Tuesday Aug 13)

This is the PG Test Plot at Day 43. I believe we are about 90-95% covered and we are going to bury the greens in topdressing sand this week to help get the smoothness. The brown you see in the picture is due to scalping, which is normal in the "grow in" phase. I will post some pics of the greens being buried later this week. We should also finish the TifGrand around the greens edges this week. 

Fast 36 days!

 1 Day after Sprigging (DAS)

 15 DAS

36 DAS

Day 37

Renovation Update

We are rapidly approaching the 3-week mark after planting the greens and despite the challenging weather we have faced, they are filling in nicely.  Bermuda grass requires sunlight and heat to grow and Atlanta was plagued with 10 days of cloud cover, rain and cooler than average temperatures for the first 17 days after planting (even the coolest July 4^th in 19 years). Although getting hammered by some heavy downpours, the sprigs held tight. It appears our fertilization program has been a success and we are already mowing the greens at a height of .125 (our target is .100-.100).  The weekly topdressing program is also in full swing. The greens edges are becoming well defined we will prep the them for the new collars the week of July 22-26, with sod being placed on July 29 (weather permitting). The city of Johns Creek approved the removal of the trees in the stream bank buffer on holes 7,8,15 and 16, therefore McAlister Tree Service will be back on property to remove the remaining trees.

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See you on the course,

Kyle Macdonald, GCS, Class A

 Above:

This is #10 at 17 days after planting and it is looking pretty good. We are already mowing at .125, close to our final Height of Cut (HOC) which will be .100-.110

Below:

Omar on the topdresser applying the 2nd application of sand to the PG (putting green). 

Below:

Gaberial is using the pull behind brush to work the sand into the canopy. 

Sprigging with MiniVerde

 Greens in a box

 The sprigs were delivered early Monday morning and staged next to the greens. Pike Creek employees loaded the sprigs into a wheel barrel and staged piles of sprigs all over the putting surface. 

 The other Pike Creek employees hand shake sprigs onto the putting surface. 

 A tractor with a planter and roller "cut" the sprigs into the putting surface. This ensures "sprig to soil" contact.

After the sprigs are "cut in" and our starter fertilizer is applied the irrigation heads turn on. Lets hope for some great (hot) weather over the next 6 weeks. 

Some Temperature Information

From Kirk Mellish's Blog: (http://www.wsbradio.com/weblogs/kirk-mellishs-weather-commentary/2013/jun/28/its-been-so-cool-atlanta-not-really/)

Summer starts June 1st for weather and climate scientists. Some are thinking its a cool summer already, but we've just reverted to normal after a string of scorchers-- so it just seems cool, its really running normal so far, as did the spring-- for the most part. The details:

Rainfall for the year is over 13 inches above normal. JUNE rainfall is around 200% higher than average at about 6 inches above normal. Lake Allatoona and Lanier are at their highest levels in 5 years for summer.

JUNE temperatures so far average +0.2 F barely above-normal. The Spring was just slightly cooler than normal but much wetter than normal. THE FIRST 90 was 13 days later than normal (June 1st) but we missed it being two weeks earlier than normal by just one degree. 

This month we've had 3 days of 90, last JUNE we had 7 days in the low 90s by now. And last year June ended with highs around 105. And last MAY we had 4 days in the 90s... this MAY we had none!

However, the summers of 2010, 11, and 2012 were all the top 3 hottest summers on record surpassed only by 1980 and 1993. 2007 was very hot, in fact most summers in this decade have been warmer than the 30 year normal. The year 2011 had the most days of 90 or above at 89 for spring and summer combined. (the year 1980 had 90 days of 90 or higher for the calendar year and 1980 recorded the earliest 90 reading)

A TYPICAL SUMMER IN ATLANTA will produce 37 days with a high of 90 or above, and NINE days of 95 or higher. Most summers in Atlanta do not produce triple digit readings, those temps are historically rare for us. (records go back to 1879)

The most recent summer to fail to produce a reading of 95 or higher was 2005. The FEWEST number of 90 degree days belongs to 1967, when we hit 90 just twice. 

MARCH was 5 degrees cooler than normal with average rain.

APRIL temps were a tad above average and rainfall was 3 inches on the plus side.

MAY was 2 degrees cooler than average and rain was an inch above normal. 

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.