What is that black stuff - and what is that smell?

Towards the end of last week you may have noticed some small areas in front of the red tee and in the fairway on hole #14 that looked and smelled odd. As I have mentioned in previous communications we have some weak areas on the course, and we are giving these areas extra attention until they are consistent with the rest of the turf on the course. The areas we treated last weak were a test to see how disruptive the process would be, how it would affect play, and see how the turf would respond. By Monday these treated areas were almost unnoticeable, so we are moving forward to treat more areas. Here is the process:

An organic fertilizer, similar to Milorganite, is spread over the area first. Then a rich organic soil is spread by shovel over the area. We are always looking for ways to conserve our resources, and the use of the organic soil is a good example of how we can do this. This soil has already served a purpose at Stonebridge. It was the potting soil that last years annual flowers grew in. The common grounds crew changes this soil each year to provide a good growing medium for the tender annual flowers. While this soil is no longer ideal for the annuals to grow in it can have a second life on the golf course. This soil is still rich in organic matter, which is lacking in much of the sandy soil that makes up the golf course. We work this soil and Milorganite into the sandy soil with the intent of changing the soils physical properties to better support turf growth. It also provides a better environment for microbial growth, which provides a lot of benefits that we cant see or appreciate without a microscope and a college diploma. So in reference to the title of this blog, the black stuff you see, and that "down on the farm smell" is the organic fertilizer and soil that has been applied.

We then run the aerifier over the material to punch holes in the soil.

A drag mat is then run over the area to work the material further into the holes in the soil.

After dragging the sprinklers are turned on to further work the material into the turf. We will continue to drag, water, and mow the area over the next few days. Each day the black look, and the smell, will diminish and the area will become more playable. We will be working on this project over the next several days so that we are finished and have good playing conditions in these areas by January 1st. Next spring we will be trucking more material in to treat more of these types of problem areas. It is worth noting that the small areas we treated last week have shown significant improvement. As I mentioned, our problem areas receive extra attention - at least 2 additional treatments per week of fertilizers and plant protectants. We will never know if it is one product that makes the difference, or a combination of products. The main thing is that we keep trying to make these areas consistent with the rest of the golf course turf, and we wont stop trying until we reach that goal.