Technical Weeds, Pests and Diseases
The only control for moss now is an application of iron sulphate, which is traditionally applied as a lawn sand or in a liquid format made from soluble iron powder. More recently, granulated high iron products have become available which can be more convenient to handle and apply.
Care should be taken when applying these chemicals, as over dosing will lead to sward damage. Once the moss has been killed, you will need to remove it by scarifying, brushing or verticutting. However, do not over do it, we do not want to scar the surface too much and affect bowl roll.
Disease: Keep an eye on fungal disease attack, and use approved fungicides to treat infected areas.
Union Jack pattern. Dragbrush to lift sward before mowing the square to encourage sward density.
Outfields will also need some attention, with a light harrow, mowing at 25mm and aerating.
Check sightscreens and covers are in good condition. Keep records of work carried out, core samples, mowing and rolling. Recommission your irrigation systems and check you have not had any frost damage.
April
Continue with pre-season rolling. Aerate the square by sarrel rolling when finishing your Union Jack pattern. Keep an eye out for disease and worms, spray accordingly.
With reference to worm control though, you will be wasting your time and money applying worm suppressants, such as Carbendazim, whilst the soil temperatures are still cool; it is best to wait until the soil warms up significantly, or when worms are active following a wet spell.
Continue brushing or switching the square to keep any disease from attacking the sward. A light verticut or scarification of the square to remove lateral growth, whilst mowing the square regularly, will increase your sward density.
Fertilising the square with a low nitrogen, higher potassium feed will harden the sward, an NPK 6:5:10+6%Fe would be suitable in most cases. Carry out renovation to bare areas, such as ends and foot holes.
Artificial netting facilities should be checked, cleaned and marked out ready for use.
Later in the month, pitch preparations should be started following the 10-12 day guidelines.
Outfields will continue to need some attention, with a light harrow, aerating, topdressing and mowing height reduced to 15- 18mm.
FOOTBALL
MARCH will often herald a steady rise in ground temperatures leading to grass being stimulated into growth, albeit sporadic.
One consequence of this is a very thin and patchy sward that provides ideal sites for weed colonisation, leading to an increased need to apply a selective weedkiller.
This is likely to cause headaches for some groundsmen struggling already on low budgets, and having to find extra money to increase the rate of their oversown grass seed.
For this reason, it will be important to think about the possibility, after completing your renovation, that you may need to complement it with a further smaller seeding programme later in the year to strengthen any weak areas of the pitch.
March
Hopefully you will be well under way with your planning and material acquisitions for your pitch renovation programme, and equally giving thought to how you may be tackling the possibility of an extended season over the need to get onto the pitches to carry out the work.
Pitch presentation at this time of the year remains important. Well striped pitches with lines that are both bright and straight, and
Fertilising
Some bowls greenkeepers may already have fed their greens with a spring fertiliser some weeks ago, but will not have seen any benefit due to the recent cold temperatures. However, now we are receiving some better weather, these applied fertilisers will begin to kick in and promote some much needed growth.
Fertiliser application and use of turf tonics can be continued in accordance with your annual programme. If you don't have a fertiliser programme, have your soil tested; try an independent soil analysis company for an impartial set of results.
Most groundstaff will be applying a spring/summer N P K fertiliser, perhaps something like a 9:7:7 which will effectively get the grass moving during April.
goalposts that are both upright with nets that are tidy, will help to take the eye off some of the thinner areas of grass.
Keep a look out for the visible signs of nutrient deficiency and compaction which may lead to the ingress of Anthracnose. Not often a devastating disease, but it may become a noticeable issue when encouraged by both conditions found often in pitches at this time of the season.
Getting your soil test carried out is now a priority to ensure that your nutrient programme can be mapped out for the summer, leading into the start of your next season.
Later this month, you will need to start seriously thinking about and gearing up for you renovation programme, and tying up any loose ends to ensure that you programme runs smoothly.
The pressure comes from then not having the resources to complete the renovation required by the extra wear. Keep up with the ongoing maintenance, as this will encourage the grass as it comes out of dormancy.
April
Very importantly, brushing, harrowing and dragmatting should continue regularly to maintain surface levels and air circulating around the grass plant.
Continue with your spiking to help relieve compaction levels and to ensure there is plenty of oxygen getting into the ground.
Your renovations should be kicking in later this month. Give some consideration to how you will achieve your objectives i.e. what are your problem areas?
How are you going to solve the problems and what methods are you going to use to carry out the tasks effectively? Work out timescales for each step of your renovation programme.
Quite often there are lots of things to think about, so preparing a plan is a good idea.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 123
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