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



 

Seeding!

Last Fall a disease known as Gray Leaf Spot wiped out a large portion of the rough around fairways including the intermediate rough.  Perennial ryegrass is highly susceptible to this disease, so we are seeding these areas in with a mixture of turf type tall fescue and some perennial ryegrass, due to it's fast germination rate.  This should help with future outbreaks of the disease.  We also are using covers in severely thinned out areas to hasten the germination process due to the early season cool temperatures.  Penn mulch, a compressed recycled paper, was also spread over the seeded areas which will help retain moisture and increase germination.

Covers sod stapled down over thinned out areas to increase germination rate

Seedlings germinating under the cover

Penn mulch spread over seeded areas to help keep seed moist