Early Seeding

 Due to a rainy season followed by a spike in temperatures areas in the rough that were not treated with fungicides suffered from pythium blight.  Typically Fall and Spring are the best times to seed cool season grasses, but since we've had optimal seeding temperatures the past two weeks we jumped the gun. We seeded a mixed blend of Turf Type Tall Fescue varieties that will create a stronger turf stand and have better disease resistance. 

Pythium Blight:

Notice the white mycelium, a common symptom observed in the morning

 

 

Seeding Process:

The most important aspect of seeding is to make sure there is good seed to soil contact.  In order to do this the dead plant material must be removed, which can be done in many ways, such as, raking, aerifying, and verticutting.  We decided to hand rake the dead material by hand first then aerified the soil to create an optimal seedbed.  Seed was then put down as well as starter fertilizer and watered in. 

 

All dead plant material removed

 

Day1:

Notice the left side of the fairway before

 

Day 14:

and after