Public golf course built in 1988, features bentgrass greens and several water features. Architecture by Xenophon Hassenplug.
Superintendent:
Eliezer “Papo” Rodriguez
Challenges:
Low-laying land leads to holding a lot of water and flooding; tight taxpayer-based budget.
Product:
Penterra is a soil penetrant and soil surfactant for addressing hydrophobic profiles and horizons. Penterra keeps soils from locking up, aggregates clay soils, improves soil structure and allows water and oxygen to better reach plant roots by reducing the surface tension between the water and the soil. Penterra assists fertilizers and plants by increasing plant nutrient uptake and keeping the soil aerobic by increasing the amount of oxygen exchanged with the soil profile.
Penterra increases the activity of aerobic micro-organisms necessary for a healthy soil profile environment secondary to water movement. Beneficial secondary effects to LDS (Localized Dry Spot) are noticed to the applied areas quickly.
Superintendent’s Results:
Five Ponds Golf Club
“Penterra dries the course very quickly. I fell in love with it! The first time I tried it, there was a big storm coming the next day, so I sprayed the Penterra the day before. It poured all night long!
I came back at 4 o’clock in the morning. I was surprised…. the fairways usually hold water and there was no water on the fairways.
It’s very fast! Plus, Penterra gives it a beautiful green color. My main concern is holding too much water though. We get a lot of rain. This left us with no puddles on there or nothing.”
Other comments:
“I’ve been in the golf business since I was 15. I’ve tried a lot of products, a lot of surfactants. Nothing worked this well and this fast. Nothing! Plus, it’s a low rate and affordable.”
One of the most important aspects of turf maintenance, if not the most important is proper water and/or irrigation techniques. Here we will give you some good ideas for managing soil moisture for your lawn.
In the golf industry most superintendents will periodically take a soil probe and carefully pull a sample of the soil profile in order to observe different aspects of the soil. One of those many variables is roots.
Watering the Lawn for Healthy Roots
Healthy roots are the key to healthy turf. Grass roots grow in soils that are moist and well aerated or aerobic. This means they have plenty of oxygen.
For the most part, root growth does not move from dry soil to wet soil looking for water. If you water your lawn deeply then the roots grow deeper. HydraHawk will help the water penetrate deeper into the soil for deeper root growth.
Keep in mind, most turf grass roots are concentrated in the first 6 to 8 inches of soil. However, some grass species, such as paspalum may grow much deeper. As these roots grow deeper, the areas by which they can pull water from increase. This is because of the greater surface area to volume of soil reached.
Water Warning: Too Much Water
However, if you water too much and soil becomes saturated with water and void of oxygen, the roots will not grow deep. Rather, they will stay close to the soil surface. However, if you irrigate with just enough water to wet the first few inches of soil, then that is where the roots will stay. Unfortunately, shallow roots usually end up with localized dry spots (LDS) and send turf into stress.
A Little Help From the HydraHawk Wetting Agent for Watering the Lawn
Using a soil wetting agent like HydraHawk can help keep water moving through the soil and allowing for some (but not too much) retention of water. This combination will assist with keeping the soil and root zone aerobic (with oxygen) and assist with deeper penetrating roots.
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Watering Tips for Your Lawn
Water to the right depth. Water should penetrate to the about 6 to 8 inches in the soil’s profile. Watering to a shallow depth may result a shallow rooted lawn that can dry out quickly, however watering too much is wasteful as the roots will only grow to a certain length in general. You can check the to penetration of the water with a stiff metal rod or something similar to a long screwdriver. The rod will usually move easily through the moist soil and then it will stop or become difficult as your probe reaches dry soil. If you so choose, you can buy a professional soil probe. Soil probes remove small cores of soil so that you can feel and observe how moist they are. They are also beneficial for looking at root color and health among other variables.
Let you lawn dry some between irrigations. Letting your lawn dry out some between irrigations creates a sustainable water-air relationship that is critical for healthy roots. The lawn, like other plants, will let you know when it is thirsty.
Avoid water runoff. Because of various factors in the soil, such as compaction and soil make up, you can water faster than your lawn can absorb it. Products like HydraHawk can really be a benefit here. On top of using some type of surface active agent, try and water in intervals of about 10 – 15 mins, turn off the water and let it soak into the soil. Afterward turn on the water again for another 10-15 mins so that you are achieving the goal of getting the water down to about 6 to 8 inches deep.
Consider morning irrigation. The early morning is the ideal time to water your turf because the weather is usually cooler, there is less wind and the humidity is higher hence the water is less likely to evaporate. However, early morning does not mean midnight. Wet grass at night can be a recipe for a disease disaster.
Monitor irrigation water amounts in summer. Try to irrigate only one or two inches of water per week during the growing season. You could irrigate the whole amount of water at one time, however most folks have better results splitting the amount into two separate applications. Please note however in sandy soils where the water percolates more rapidly it may benefit you to split the applications into three separate irrigation cycles. You do not want to irrigate more than three times a week because you would be applying so little water the outcome would be shallow roots.
Observe your lawn. This is pretty simple really. Watch your lawn. It will tell you when it is wanting water. If the grass does not dry out between watering, stretch the intervals between waterings. If it seems like the water is not getting deep enough into the soil profile just apply a little more water each watering, but do water less often. Now if the lawn looks healthy and everything seems fine, try cutting back and conserving water. You can always make adjustments as you go.
Want even more tips on Efficient Watering for Landscaping? Check out this article on Home Landscape Watering by RE/MAX.
WEEDS! WEEDS! WEEDS! Have you caught yourself screaming these words?
An older fella that had literally decades under his belt in the landscaping industry said once, “MULCH, MULCH, MULCH! That is the secret to good gardening.” Sound simple? Well, it is really.
Mulch is basically any material organic or not that is placed over a surface of the soil to conserve moisture, kill weed seedlings, moderate the temperature and make the garden or landscape more attractive. You could say it does all of that at the same time. In the old days mulch was meant to be natural, organic materials such as leaves, bark, wood chips, sand or stone. Well times have changed. Now there are literally dozens upon dozen of options to include plastic films to woven or non-woven geo-fabrics.
For the most part there is a common goal in mulching and that is reduce the time and hassle of weeding. Here we have listed some common materials both inorganic or seed-free organic mulches:
Wood Chips: Find a local arborist in your area. Usually they are glad to rid themselves of horticultural waste. Or the best option is to find composted wood chips from a local soil or amendment supplier. Usually sold by the yard or truck load.
Newspaper: Newspaper can be used either shredded or laid flat. It is great for water retention. Make sure to wet it so that it does not blow away. Apply a thin layer of weed free attractive mulch on top of it.
Pine Straw: Pine straw is esthetically pleasing to the eye. It is best used for acid loving plants.
Shredded Bark: Use this type of mulch around trees and other noticeable areas as this type of mulch is quite attractive.
Grass Clippings: Grass clippings can be used making sure that the clippings come from a weed and pesticide free lawn.
Leaves: Leaves are good choice if the leaves are shredded or composted.
Inorganic mulch like that of gravel, landscape fabric, sand and stone are other options and do hold in moisture, however it should be noted that these options do not add fertility to the soil. It is best to use this type of mulch around perennials, shrubs or trees that are naturally occurring and do not require additional fertilizer.
You can get the most out of your gardening pleasure by using fertile organic mulch. By doing so you can control weeds and provide a small amounts of nutrients to the soil. All organic composted mulches made from plant material fall into this category. Some mulches will decompose faster than others depending on the make up of the mulch. The mulches that quickly decompose are useful in annual flower and vegetable beds. When rain or irrigation water comes into contact with this type of decomposing mulch, the nutrients leach into the soil to be taken up by the plant.
There are other organic mulches that are more slow release or slow to decompose and provide few nutrients. These types are usually dry and woody and are usually low in nitrogen. These are typically the bark type mulches. The bark type mulches are for the most part resistant to rotting. Usually is best to use these around trees or paths. Fresh wood chips can make excellent mulch, however it is suggested that an external source of nitrogen be used.
You know, anyone can take a few plants and throw them in the ground and pretty much let it grow. However, many people want a garden with a purpose and be eye pleasing as well as easy to care for. Many times one needs to ask some important questions prior to planning a garden. What is your garden’s purpose for you and those around you? It can address the many facets of one’s life. Entertaining, playing, outdoor dining or just a place to go to unwind and detach oneself from the outside world as well as many more.
Without question a garden can make your life healthier, more comfortable, colorful and aid with the convenience of not having to go to the supermarket. Maybe one of the most important aspects of a garden is that is expands your living experience more to the outdoors where you can explore harvesting your own food and cut or pick your own fresh flowers or just being in a pleasant environment with friends and family.
Let’s take a look at the different ways a garden can enhance your life.
Garden Relaxation: Anytime you go to a place that seems pleasant and relaxing the experience is always good for your mind and health. This can be as simple as a chair or bench in the corner of your garden under a shade tree or a swing under that large oak with decades of stories untold. Everyone at one time or another has been in such a place. The relaxation aspects of your garden have benefits to both body and soul.
Outdoor Entertaining: Whether you are entertaining out of town guest or the folks down the street, a garden is the perfect atmosphere for fun as well as a relaxing atmosphere.
Nature’s Kids and Doggy Fun Time: Ok, there is nothing like putting a child or a puppy dog down in a garden and watching them go. It is like a light switch just turns on and says GO! However, children and pets have different garden interests. The “GO!” light might not be wanted in your prize rose garden. Hence, if these are frequent visitors that would need to be taken into consideration when planning.
Your Private Flower Boutique: Is there anything more satisfying that fresh cut flowers? mmmm? The aroma and feel they can bring to a home. Their presence is so satisfying. If you aim to have fresh cut flowers make sure to leave enough room for cutting and gathering them. There some planing that would need to go into such.
Food for Life: Maybe one of the most important aspects of your garden is the possibility to grow your own food. Knowing what goes into your foods. After all you grew it, fertilized it (hopefully organically) and know everything that went to making its way to your table. Through your own research you can even learn how to medicate yourself with the food you grow. You can grow gourmet fruits, vegetables and divine herbs that make your life more healthy.
Backyard Wildlife Friends: This is a personal favorite. Wildlife needs a place to share with us. Remember that swing or bench we talked about earlier? Now add the presence of songbirds or a hummingbird buzzing by. We love bunnies! Ok, ok, ok so they are not the best thing for your fresh spinach but they can sure bring life to our outdoor living. Butterflies! We can’t forget the color and gracefulness thing bring. All of these can bring a sense of being to your garden even the little bunnies that eat the spinach. With a little planning you can bring all of these creatures in to your back yard.
Your Garden, Your Private Place: A garden can be your escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Only a few minutes of downtime in your garden can bring you peace and clear the mind. This dreamy place can become your reality if you begin to create the area that fits your lifestyle and wants.
There are utterly a mind boggling amount of possibilities for your garden. Take some time to write down everything that you would like your garden to do and how it can serve you and your family’s needs. Don’t rush yourself. Walk outside and look at your yard. Let you mind go and feel your way through it. Some of the most majestic gardens in the world took many many years to come into their prime. You and your garden will become one with each other as each can be an expression of the other.
Golf Course Superintendent shares results using Penterra after southeast Ireland drenched by rain for days
Penterra provides stellar water management results at Bunclody Golf and Fishing Club after heavy rains for two days threaten to flood the Irish course.
Well we knew it was coming. We got the rain that the weathermen promised on a recent Thursday evening and Friday morning.
We had a little less than two inches of rain in a little more than 12 hours on Thursday night. That was followed by a heavy downpour on Friday morning for about an hour, leading to another half an inch of water coming down. Topping all that off, we got another constant rain for about 4 hours after that!
I would have expected the greens at Bunclody to have been under water first thing on Friday morning! But, there was no sign of standing water anywhere.
We sprayed the Penterra on Thursday morning and again on Friday morning.
The results are outstanding!
Only when the heavy downpour lasted hours did we get some standing water, which was inevitable with the rain coming down so hard. Once that down pour had stopped, the water moved very quickly off the surface of the greens and through the soil profile. Penterra is an unbelievable penetrant!
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Saturday the greens were remarkably dry after another night of heavy down pours.
The effectiveness of Penterra enabled us to mow the greens at tournament height. Something we wouldn’t normally dream possible after that much rain using any other soil surfactants.
This product is unbelievable!
Congratulations on producing such a low-cost, but ultra effective tool for superintendents having water management difficulties in varied climates.
