4 Feb 2004 by Charlie
Help and advice
New bowling green, seeded at the beginning of last October. I do not have previous experience of dealing with this. Some reseeding required. What is the best time to do this? April? Weed control needed. Should Spring/Summer fertilizer be applied before seeding and the weedkilling left until all new grass is established? Would light scarification and aeration be needed. Any advice at all on the initial care of a new green would be appreciated.
bowling green
charlie regarding your question the temperatures are supposed to be high this febuary so early seeding could be an option as well as applying a feed,low N as the temperatures could drop.ask proffesional advice regarding options on feeding.if finances are minimal and you decide to wait untill aprill to overseed apply a spring/summer feed higher in N as you will be cutting regular and removing a percentage of nutrient which needs to be replaced.wait untill temperatures rise before applying a herbicide as the weeds need to be activly growing before the product will work.wait till about 7 to14 days after feeding before applying a herbicide as feeding may have encouraged the weed population especially if a poor feeding proggrame has occured.a weed and feed could be an option around mid aprill but care must be taken not to wrongly over applicate this close to the season.verry light scarifying can prevail(verticutting)by verticutting you are cleaning the base out by removing poa,moss and encouraging upright growth and allowing the surface to breath.the surface would definatly benifit from this work.if using the scarifyer care must be taken not to be too destructive too close to the season in which the surface would suffer.aeration should be a year round operation and you as the greenkeeper must select the correct time in which to aerate.any deep aeration is difficult during the season and is better left untill the autumn/winter but regular aeration to 4inch and if you have the time topdressing to keep your levels correct.a more substantial dressing can be applied at the end of the season during renovation,sorrel rolling is ideal as the machine penetrates to a depth of around 2 inch which is ideal to brake surface crust and aid root growth and percolation rates as well as oxygen around the profile.
5 Feb 2004 by charlie
bowling green
Anthony. Thanks for your helpful reply. I think April will be more realistic to reseeed. The weather where we are in the NW of England has been dreadful from the middle of Jan to date and does`nt seem to be getting any better. Also we are not going to play on the green this season as we would like the surface to be fairly well established. Could I just check you that I am correct in thinking that you are saying apply a Spring/Summer feed after seeding and after germination has taken place. I would not wish to incur the wrath of the Treasurer with any unnecessary spending. Thanks again.
bowling green
you can apply a pre seed feed just before sowing or apply the feed around the time you sow in that way the feed will assist in germination.another option is to wait untill the seed has shown 2 leaf stage and then apply.the options is down to the groundsman.need any more info get back
New Green
Charlie, a few additional comments to add to Anthony's. During the first full growing season after seeding the grasses need a good supply of nitrogen to produce a well knit turf, the general guidelines for annual fertiliser for a soil based green newly seeded is 16-20 g/m 2 of nitrogen applied within 4-5 dressings p and k 8-10 g/m 2 in 1-2 dressings applied at frequent intervals during the main growing season from April to end August.
Top dressing is very important on a newly seeded green, it can be difficult to mat in, brushing and the lute can be too severe on the new grass, try using a synthetic drag-mat or a piece of artificial turf upside/down with a rope attached.
Keep any machines with wheels such as the scarifier or aerator off the green during the first season, they can do a lot of damage, such as tracking or wheel rutting of the surface and it could take years to put right. There should be no significant thatch on the green the first year.
Roll the green during March/April using the mower (cutting reel disengaged) keep a moderate height of cut during the first season, mow during the afternoon when the grass is dry, during hot weather mow early morning.
Hand weeding is important during the early stages of the grow-in and it may be better not to apply a selective weedkiller until the second season. Do it in strips 4-6 ft. whenever you have time, use a knife or an old dinner fork, keep a bucket of soil at hand to fill in any holes, you can overseed any bare areas from Spring on.
Good luck with the new green.
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