Fertilizer/Pre-emergent Herbicide Application

We made our spring and summer fertilizer/pre-emergent herbicide application this week.  The herbicide is impregnated onto the fertilizer granules so that both products may be spread together.  The herbicide that we used is called Ronstar(oxadiazon).  It is a very effective herbicide that targets annual grasses and broadleaf weeds.  It controls weeds through the shoots, not the roots and therefore is not harmful to the roots of turfgrasses, like many other pre-emergents are.

The fertilizer that we used contained some quick release nitrogen to give the grass a jump start as well as a controlled-release nitrogen to spoon feed the grass throughout the summer.  The controlled-released fertilizer that we used is called Polyon.  The video below explains how Polyon works.

 

The bulk of the application was spread by Harrell's, the supplier of the product.

We followed up around greens and other areas that the truck could not get with push spreaders.

Following the application, the product was watered in thoroughly to release the pre-emergent into the soil and create the barrier for weeds.  The barrier should last us until the fall.

Greens Aerification

We core aerified greens on Monday and Tuesday of this week.  Core aerification has many benefits, the main one being the removal of unwanted organic material in the upper part of the rootzone.  Other important benefits include: reduction of compaction, improved soil/gas exchange, stimulation of new root development, stimulation of microbial activity, and improvement of the plant's ability to withstand stresses.  I have included an outline of our aerification process below.

Here is a video of the aerifier in action.  We used .5" inside diameter tines on 1.6" x 1.75" spacing, which removed approximately 7% of the surface area of the greens. 

We use blowers and plug pushers to move the plugs to the edges of the greens.  We are careful to minimize the amount of holes that we seal off on the surface while removing the old material.

We then load the plugs in carts and haul them off.

Next, we apply sand with a pull behind topdresser.

After the sand has dried, we brush the greens with a pull behind brush and hand brooms as needed to get the sand into the aerification holes.  The sand in the aerification holes will help the soil retain air space, which is vital to the health of the greens.

Here is an up close view of a finished green.