Hot Tips for This Summer

By Bob Brame and Bob Vavrek, agronomists, North Central Region
July 29, 2011

(L) It is common for superintendents to switch from using grooved front rollers on the mower and replace them with smooth rollers to reduce turf stress. (R) Hand-held moisture meters can help staff correlate "feel" to actual measurements. 

Issue: 

Scalping or thinning along the perimeter of the putting surface occur during periods of summer stress.

Solution: 

Replace grooved front rollers on the mower with solid rollers to reduce stress and leaf tissue bruising. Slightly increase the height of cut to reduce the potential for scalping. 

 

Issue: 

When keeping putting green soil moisture levels toward the dry end of the continuum, it can be a challenge to get multiple staff members on the same page with hand watering and syringing.

Solution: 

Using hand-held soil moisture meters by all of the maintenance staff who check putting green moisture and apply water allows everyone to compare precise percentages and speak the same language.