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Thinking differently: trying to reduce topdress...

Micah Woods
November 28, 2018

Thinking differently: trying to reduce topdressing & core aerification by careful adjustment of the growth rate & organic matter

My presentation on breaking all the rules about managing organic matter, delivered as part of the 40th Congress of the Spanish Greenkeepers Association in Sevilla.

Micah Woods

November 28, 2018
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  1. Thinking Differently Thinking Differently Trying to reduce topdressing & core

    Trying to reduce topdressing & core aerification by careful adjustment aerification by careful adjustment of the growth rate & organic matter of the growth rate & organic matter Micah Woods Micah Woods Chief Scientist | Asian Turfgrass Center Chief Scientist | Asian Turfgrass Center www.asianturfgrass.com www.asianturfgrass.com November 28, 2018 November 28, 2018
  2. 4 stories 1. Surprised at PGA Catalunya 2. The textbook

    way 3. I started noticing 4. Six surprising years --- My recommendations now
  3. “the underlying problem is often excessive organic matter just beneath

    the putting surface. Core aeration, verticutting, and topdressing are the primary agronomic practices used to manage organic matter, but they are disliked by most golfers.” Moeller & Lowe, 2016
  4. “There are many agronomic programs that influence the playability and

    health of putting greens, but organic matter management is arguably the most important.” Moeller & Lowe, 2016
  5. “In general, organic matter accumulates when programs that dilute organic

    matter are not keeping pace with organic matter production.” Moeller & Lowe, 2016
  6. “0.5-1.5 cubic feet per 1,000 square feet every 7-14 days

    effectively dilutes organic matter throughout the growing season” Moeller & Lowe, 2016 That is 0.15 to 0.45 mm (150 to 450 mL/m2) every 7 to 14 days
  7. “To keep organic matter content below 3-4 percent in the

    upper rootzone, these articles recommend core aeration treatments that impact 15-20 percent of the putting surface each year and topdressing programs that incorporate at least 40-50 cubic feet of sand per 1,000 square feet annually.” Moeller & Lowe, 2016 That is 12 to 15 mm per year (12 to 15 L/m2)
  8. “Increasing sand topdressing frequency to every 7 to 14 days

    and applying at least 20.3 ft3 /1000 ft2 topdressing sand annually, combined with routine soil cultivation to ensure sand incorporation, are practices that can be utilized to manage SOM.” Schmid C.J., Gaussoin R.E., and S.A. Gaussoin. 2014. Organic matter concentration of creeping bentgrass putting greens in the continental U.S. and resident management impact. Applied Turfgrass Science. That’s a recommendation of at least 6 mm per year (6 L/m2). Another recommendation
  9. Articles and books transitioned from explaining the textbook ways at

    the start, to describing how one can make site-specific adjustments that break a lot of the “rules.”
  10. What I recommend now: • Be aware of the textbook

    recommendations • Measure the growth rate • Measure surface firmness • Measure soil water content • Measure the surface layer organic matter • Adjust to get desired results