New-Green-Agronomy 101
Since most of us have had some time to look at, touch and play the new Bobcat course greens for a few weeks now, let’s take a look at what lies beneath and examine the lifeblood of any plant: its root system. Roots are critical to plants because most nutrients are absorbed through the roots and all water is taken into the plant through the roots. So obviously, the more extensive the root system, the better chance for success. A general rule of thumb is that the shoot growth (above the earth’s surface) is equal to the root growth (below the earth’s surface). By this rationale a 50 foot tall pine tree has roots stretching 50 feet from the trunk, grass in the rough mowed at 2" has a 2" deep root system and greens mowed at .135" would have roots .135" deep. So you can imagine our delight with the photo below. This is a soil profile of the green on #18 Bobcat. At the very bottom, nearly 8" deep below the surface of the green, you will notice a small root poking out of the probe.
One question you may ask after looking at this soil profile is "how does this compare to the Bear greens?" The differences between a brand new green and a mature 5-year old green are remarkable.
As we know, the surface of a new green is firm, making shots more difficult to hold on the green. Here’s why:
Over time, greens develop an organic layer made up of decomposing stem, leaf and root material, not all that different from compost. The organic layer is softer/spongier than the new greens which lack this layer. The negative of organic matter is that it holds excess moisture, creating percolation and disease issues. This is why we aerify every summer and fill the holes with sand to dilute the organic matter and give water channels to vertically drain through the soil profile into the underlying green mix and drainage. The positive of organic matter is that it holds nutrients in the root zone longer than straight sand (or green mix). The presence of organic matter is obvious in the photo on the left below.
Typically after the first full growing season an organic layer will begin to accumulate on our new greens improving the playability of the surface.
We hope you have found this informative and we will be sending out your agronomy certificates shortly!
