Golf
It was after some detailed research on the internet that Peter came across the LiquiJect, a solid tine wheel aerator that injects water and active ingredients into the soil below the canopy and thatch layers
up the greens. Tees and surrounds are mown twice a week at 12mm using their Toro 3100s. If time allows, they use hand mowers. Fairways are mown at 15mm using their Toro 6500 and 6700, again twice a week. Semi rough is mown at 35mm with their Toro 4500 and 4700, once or twice as time allows. Wider rough areas are generally left
to grow wild, but some areas are mown once a week with either a Lloyds gangmower or Grasshopper zero turn. Their twenty-seven bay driving range is usually mown once a week with rotary mowers. Peter and Richard are mindful that they need to maintain and keep improving the quality of the greens, as they tend to be a bench mark for the course and help bring in new customers and retain existing ones. They undertake a robust maintenance programme, making good use of the machinery they have acquired. Being from a farming background, they understand the benefits of having the right equipment to do the job, and when to use it. Very seldom does any of the equipment remain unused in the shed. Greens and tees are aerated on a
regular basis to maintain porosity and help combat thatch levels. The Toro Pro-core is in constant use, as are their sarrell rollers. Topdressing is carried out monthly using a combination of soil and sand dressings. The feeding programme centres
Course growing in Minimal damage
around applying no more than 140kg/ha nitrogen per year to encourage the finer grasses. A combination of granular and liquid products are applied. Peter has just invested in new equipment to apply foliar feeds and soil drenches, buying a Toro 5800 Multipro sprayer fitted with hoods, and two unique LiquiJect aerators that, currently, are the only ones in the UK. The reason for their purchase was to help combat a nematode problem which has occured since the new greens were built. After much research, and working closely with Dr Colin Fleming and Dr Kate Entwistle, they were able to identify the types of nematodes, and it turns out that, in most cases, they were imported with the topdressing. Whilst these nematodes are one of the most common organisms on the planet,
well maintained soils is the perfect breeding ground for them. Since 2009, Peter has carried out a number of trials for Colin to help establish what products help suppress nematodes, and to what extent. In most cases, the products have to be applied in liquid form, but the outcome is often dictated by weather conditions, state of the soil and the timing of the operation.
It is critical that the timing of the application is made when the nematodes are most active and have just hatched from the egg stage, which is their most vulnerable state. Generally, soil temperatures and soil moisture need to be at optimum levels to facilitate the lifecycle of the nematode. Once soils get to around 5/6 degrees centigrade, alongwith plenty of moisture in the soil, the nematodes become active. After working closely with Colin, and trying out all manner of treatments, they have, between them, developed a method that seems to work very well in suppressing nematodes. The one problem with overhead spraying is ensuring the ground conditions are right for an effective application. The material needs to get down to between 25-50mm to come into contact with the nematodes. It was after some detailed research on the internet that Peter came across the LiquiJect, a solid tine wheel aerator that injects water and active ingredients into the soil below the canopy and thatch layers.
These machines are more commonly used in the agriculture sector to get material down into the soil profile. Peter was keen to try it out on his golf course so, earlier this year, he spent £40,000 on importing two machines into the UK.
He has been using the machines to aerate and apply liquid feeds into the greens and tees. There is some minimal disruption to the surface but, overall, the results have been very good. Peter and Richard have been trialing a new liquid fertiliser that not only feeds the turf but also suppresses nematode activity. Lab tests and field trials carried out by Colin help confirm the decline in nematode numbers, especially on the most prolific species - Meloidogyne J2(root-knot), Tylencorhynchus (stunt), Hemicycliophora
Close-up of LiquiJect 30 PC DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012
LiquiJect mounted to New Holland TZ25D tractor
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