9 Jan 2010 by k k Last edited 9 Jan 2010
We have a crown green with a very large oak tree within 3 metres of one of the corners.
There is full light in this area of the playing surface so there is no shading problem.
The problem we had last season ... the turf was very thin,fragile, and easy to rip or tear directly above the roots of the oak. This is only an area of 5 x 5 mtrs
The tree cannot be removed.
The roots of the tree are obviously enjoying the dressings we are applying.
Apart from the normal annual dressings and feeds is there anything extra we could apply to give that small area of green an extra boost that will strengthen the turf, or is it just a matter of keeping well watered and regular feeding ?Cheers
Ken
have you considered digging a trench to a depth of say 750mm
and installing a root barrier?
I would imagine that a "very large oak tree" would have quite significant roots already under the green as it is within 3m (10feet) to cut through those roots would harm the tree.
Steve
Don't talk to me about Contractors Wonka, I am one myself......
I had this problem with a holm oak by a town centre green years ago. I found out the roots are only supposed to spread as far as the canopy but suspect mine went further in search of nutrients/water as they had a lot of concrete around them. I never did sort it out but i suspect it was excacerbated by a colleague who would sow the area with Ryegrass (then deny all knowledge, even when i could see the seed!) which would then germinate and die in the drought/shade/continual short mowing conditions. Maybe use of wetting agents and deep watering (more, less frequently) would encourage the roots away from the surface. Ultimately though, the trench sound like an idea...
Martin Wythe
Just as an onlooker what sort of form would the root barrier take (as someone with precious little tree experience). It sounds like a real possibility with the amount of greens affected by tree root ingress all over the country. Excuse my ignorance but if you don't ask you don't find out.
The light at the end of the tunnel is not a train
http://pba-solutions.com/content/root-barrier
Don't talk to me about Contractors Wonka, I am one myself......
12 Jan 2010 by k k
May i thank replies to date ......... Yet, as i stated , it is not possible to move the tree , nor do we wish to barrier the roots as proposed. The oak is at least 70 years old and no roots are visible on the surface of green .
We have NO intention of removing or disturbing any of the turf.
The only remaining action will be to treat the turf.
Advice along this route only please or none at all.
Many THANKS
Ken
I may sound daft, but how can a very large oak tree only 3m away from your green allow for full light?
Is the edge of the canopy 3m away or the actual trunk?
12 Jan 2010 by k k
The oak is right in the corner of the green ,and although there is a canopy of branches high up over the edge of the green ( the lower branches were expertly pruned) the only slight shade is during the first two hours after sunrise. Apart from that period the whole green is in full sun for the remainder of the day . Believe me, shading is not a problem.
Thanks for your response.
Ken
Is the turf not fragile every year ? Was it a drier summer for you ?
Ken.
when you top dress the green , try hollow tine the affected area , sweep off cores and then fill in holes with top dressing, over seeding, and keep watered .
KK, when you have Oak" you consequently have tannic" acid. Test the PH of the area around the canopy then further a test at green centre. I would guess the acidity to be significantly lower at canopy. (cure) Liming of weak turf. If you pursue a test which has this suggested result then PM me and I will be happy to negotiate a prescription with you to cure. Regards, Ian Mac
13 Jan 2010 by Martin Wythe Last edited 13 Jan 2010
The most obvious impact on your green is the amount of water transpired by the oak (around 40,000 gallons for a large healthy oak figuresfrom link below). normal irrigation adequate for the majority of the square will only keep the surface damp and cause surface rooting above
the arera of active oak roots. I would be tempted to apply a wetting agent deep spike and increase the watering of that area.
a liqiud feed to improve deep rooting may help also.
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercyclesummary.html
13 Jan 2010 by k k
Last season was a very wet season yet the oak corner was obviously drier and lighter in colour. I think we shall try your suggestion Martin .
Many thanks to you all for your contributions............
Ken
14 Jan 2010 by vid
Ken, as you have said there is no visible sign of tree root activity on the surface so I understand not wanting to disturb the turf by digging a root break. The most likely cause is loss of water and nutrient within the soil to the oak tree coupled with the possible PH problems Ian mentions. The weakness of the sward to my mind is probably telling. The grass is making no effort to put down root mass, if the soil is dry in this area down to depth because the oak tree is removing mositure the plant will be discouraged from looking for it deep. If as a consequence this area of the green receives corespondingly more regular water the plant may be relying on this and concentrating its root mass on the surface. Its just a thought - without examination of the profile both physically and chemically we are all floundering around in the dark!! It is almost certainly caused by the oak tree but none of us here can put our finger on the most probable cause without more facts. Have a look at the profile down to 150mm and take some samples if you can for testing, then come back to us if needs be.
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