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THE AERICATION PROCESS
Twice a year the courses in St. James Plantation aerify their greens. Aerification is the process of punching holes in the turf and is done for a number of reasons. The main reasons are to relieve compaction, remove thatch, and to amend the soil. Constant traffic on the turf compacts the surface making it more and more difficult for water and nutrients to penetrate. Eventually the root systems get shallow and the greens become very susceptible to heat and drought stresses. Removing the old dead plants (thatch) gives the new root systems some room to grow and stimulates new growth by injury. Amending the soil occurs in the topdressing phase. The thatch is replaced with sand improving percolaton, which encourges deep roots and a better oxygen/water ratio. Aerification is always done during the plant's vigorous growing season. The Players Club and The Founders Club have bentgrass greens and will typically aerify in the spring and the fall. The Members Club has bermuda grass greens and will typically aerify in late spring and late summer.
CLEAN UP LAPS ON THE GREENS
We only mow clean up laps around the green perimeter 2 to 3 days per week. If we mow the clean up laps more often the green becomes grooved or worn out from the tire tracks. We vary the mowing pattern on the green everyday, but we cannot vary the pattern on the clean up lap, so we have to be very careful not to over mow the clean up laps.
IRRIGATION SCHEDULING
Fortunately at The Members Club, The Players Club and The Reserve Club the irrigation system is computer operated. The program is very efficient, it figures the best way to run the water in the shortest amount of time. It is a tremendous cost savings feature in terms of electricity and can extend the life of the pumps and motors. For this reason we can generally irrigate the golf courses between 8:00 pm and 7:00 am.
The irrigation system at The Founders Club is not computer operated, therefore, it is not as efficient, requiring a longer irrigation cycle. At times The Founders Club will begin irrigating as early as 6:30 pm.
POND MANAGEMENT AND ALGAE
Algae is vital to all ponds and lakes. It is a sign of a healthy pond, and is a food source for fish and other pond organisms. Algae is essential to maintaining water chemistry at a sanitary level by controlling nutrient levels However, too much algae is unfavorable, therefore, algae control is an important factor in pond maintenance. As temperatures rise in the spring, algae growth increases, especially in shallow ponds. Estate Management will treat the ponds every two weeks instead of monthly. Ponds not treated by Estate Management will be treated as needed by the golf course maintenance staffs. As always, we will do our best to properly control the algae for the health of the pond and its ecosystem while promoting the natural beauty of the ponds.
Conrad Broussard
Director of Agronomy
910-253-9278
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