TurfNetTV - Latest Video is Live.....

My first ON COURSE video of 2019 for TurfNet.com is live. In this video I discuss the "due diligence" needed during the planning stages of a new irrigation system. I talk about the "other" components besides the irrigation controls and sprinkler heads. Check it out, click HERE to view. I would like to also welcome back my supporting sponsor for 2019, Tanto Irrigation Thanks for your support! 

TurfNet Webinars....

I've been catching up on some TurfNet.com webinars lately and realized what a benefit it is to have these available online. I missed a number of these this past year due to some extensive traveling. Having these available in an archive is absolutely the best. Thanks to Grigg for sponsoring these great educational webinars. This webinar by Dr. Doug Soldat, Fundamentals of Fall Fertilization, I found really interesting. I know it's not fall, but if you haven't viewed this webinar it's a must for all turf managers. You can view it HERE

My Latest Read....

A few years ago Jim Haley, Highland Golf Services stopped in my office with Bill Bartels, Tanto Irrigation and gave me a copy of "Dream Golf" The Making of Bandon Dunes. Well, about that time I was slowing packing up my office for my eventual retirement from the golf course superintendent profession and this book was immediately packed. Well, after 3 years in a box and in storage, it was recently unpacked and moved up to the top of my read list. Can't wait to read the whole story. Thanks Jim for the copy. 

Visiting and touring Bandon Dunes was one of my true highlights
 of my golf course management career. 

TurfNet TV - Latest Video is Live..

My latest ON COURSE video for TurfNet.com is live. In this video I chat with Dennis Kling, Golf Course Superintendent for the City of Loveland, Colorado. We discuss in specifics the Cattail Creek mini-course. This course was built to help "Grow the Game" of golf. It uses SNAG golf equipment and is a fantastic way to introduce young kids to golf. Check it out, click HERE to view. As always, thanks to my supporting sponsor Tanto Irrigation

TurfNetTV - Latest Video is Live....

My latest ON COURSE video for TurfNet.com is live. In this video I chat with Matt Gourlay, CGCS - superintendent at Colbert Hills Golf Course in Manhattan, KS. We discuss his "More is Less" philosphy about turfgrass management. Matt also gives us some insight about what it meant to be named TurfNet Superintendent of the Year back in 2015. Please click HERE to view. As always, thanks to my supporting sponsor Tanto Irrigation

Vole Control on the Golf Course

There is no debating the fact that one of the biggest issues for superintendents in the mountain west are those little pesky voles. Voles are rodents and a relative of the mouse. There are over 100 species of voles. The meadow vole is responsible for the bulk of the damage in a turfgrass situation. Voles are herbivores and the majority of their diet consists of grass stems and leaves. In the summertime voles migrate to thick taller grassy/native areas for protection against predators. However, when snowfall arrives they have protection under snow cover and this is the time they migrate to fine turf areas and can cause damage. This makes golf course turfgrass very susceptible to damage during wintertime period. Voles cause turf damage by chewing grass plants extremely low to the ground. They chew so low they cause damage to the crown of the plant. Voles also create runways in the winter, first by chewing the plants, then by using these to forage for additional food each day. These runways can see extensive traffic throughout the winter as voles forage each day on 10-15 trips through these runways.

Vole Damage in a fairway situation with no Milorganite applied. 

Generally speaking, voles don’t directly kill the turf plant. Although if they damage the crown of the plant extensively, it is possible. The main issue with vole damage is the slow recovery of the turf in the spring. With the combination of cold soil temperatures and damaged turf plants in the spring, recovery can be extremely slow. The other issue with vole damage is its effect on playability. When a golf ball lands in one of the vole tunnels it can nestle down and make for a very poor lie. So until complete recovery occurs playability suffers.

Vole Damage to Kentucky Bluegrass tee surrounds. The tee surface received
 an application of Milorganite and sand topdressing and is not touched!

Controlling voles is extremely difficult if not impossible. Over the year’s superintendents have tried many different products with minimal success. One product I found which shows some vole repellency is Milorganite fertilizer. I discovered this primarily by accident. I have used Milorganite fertilizer for many years as a dormant feed on greens, tees, and fairways. What I didn’t realize was all those years of apply Milorganite, I was also repelling voles in those areas. 

All the years we applied Milorganite to the fairways we were getting
a side benefit of vole control, which we really discovered in 2014.

This came to light during the winter of 2014-15. That fall we had early snow cover and only finished 11 fairways with our Milorganite application. That spring we had extensive vole damage on fairways that didn’t receive the Milorganite application. We also noticed that spring that late season topdressing applications also reduced vole damage. With this in mind, we decided to apply Milorganite to the rough as well in the fall of 2015. We also set-up some small test areas with check plots to test our theory.

Some testing I performed in some grassy hollows which every year suffers
from vole damage. No Milorganite applied on the left and 0.75#N/M applied
to the right. Totally clean from any damage with the Milorganite.

In the spring of 2016 we were amazed at almost the complete lack of vole damage on the property. Our test plots also show without question that Milorganite certainly repels vole activity. We used a rate of 0.75#/N/M in all the rough and in our test areas. The results were fantastic. With this in mind, ONCOURSETurf, LLC set-up some independent testing in the fall of 2017 at some other local golf facilities, Sonnenalp Club and Red Sky Ranch. All test plots were 25 square feet and received a rate of one pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet. Plots were established in areas of consistent vole damage each spring. Most areas were north facing, which allowed prolonged snow cover. In mid-April this past spring after snowmelt, I was able to observe the results from those test plots. The past winter season was a low pressure vole year, meaning the voles were not as active as other years. The main reason for this was the lack of snowfall and the lack of duration of what snow was received. With voles primarily active under snowcover. No snow cover equals no voles. There was some snow cover however and we did see some positive results with the Milorganite use. The rate used for the test plots was 1#/N/M. Take a look at some of my findings below.

Voles active in the area, but the Milorganite plot stayed clean from any damage.

In this test plot we had heavy vole damage on two sides, but the plot was generally clean.
The arrow shows vole entry into the plot from the right side, but it appears there was
repellency as very minimal damage occurred.
  

Another observation from the test plots was spring green-up. At the time of the test plot observations, soil temperatures were in the high 30's. In the photos below you can already see some spring green up occurring even with these extremely cold soil temperatures.

Initial spring green-up noticed immediately after snowmelt with soil temperatures in the high 30's.

Although it wasn't a high pressure vole year, there were certainly some indications that Milorganite can be effective for vole repellency. Presently, I am in the process of establishing some new testing on some of Colorado's front range courses to study this repellency further. Stay tuned.
Special thanks to Milorganite and WinField United for their support in establishing these test plots. 

To summarize, Milorganite certainly shows some control for vole damage. This fertilizer is a great option for a dormant fertility program with getting additional side effects of vole repellency. Getting two things accomplished with one product, that is a big plus! To read the benefits of Milorganite as a dormant fertility product click HERE

TurfNetTV - Latest Video is Live....

My latest ON COURSE video for TurfNet.com is live. In this video I highlight some ideas that have caught my eye during my travels. From "Stump Grooving" to "Dry Erase Tape", check them out. Thanks to all those who helped contribute to this video.  Please click HERE to view. As always, thanks to my supporting sponsor Tanto Irrigation

Dormant Fertilization

Dormant fertilization is one turfgrass management practice that I believe is vital for a successful upcoming season.  I have been a big fan of dormant fertilization throughout my entire career.  My definition of dormant fertilization is:  fertilizing when temperatures have dropped sufficiently to stop top growth - basically, when mowing has ceased. At this time, however, root growth can still be active.

What fertilizer is best for dormant fertilization?  There are many choices, but for 40+ years of golf course management career I have used the natural organic Milorganite.   Milorganite was my go-to fertilizer for all dormant applications.  Each fall when top growth stopped, we fertilized the entire golf course with Milorganite. 

Alway a great time of year when the dormant Milorganite application goes out!

Always a smile on my face when spreading Milorganite.

Greens, tees, fairways, and rough all received between 0.75#N/M-1.25#N/M.  Even today, as a consulting agronomist, it is the single most important fertilization practice I recommend and discuss with clients. I do get questions on why Milorganite.  So, let’s discuss the reasons why it’s such a great fertilizer and why it’s particularly great for a dormant application.

First, Milorganite has been in business for over 90 years. That is some kind of staying power. Some of the reason for that is the consistency with the manufacturing of this product.  In my 40+ years of using this material, I have never opened a bag that had an issue - truly remarkable. To have a better understanding of the production of Milorganite, check out this great video link, HERE. 

The consistency in the manufacturing of this product is truly amazing!

Second, Milorganite may be the most researched fertilizer in the world. So, why is it such a great dormant fertilizer choice?  First, as an organic, it is very stable and leaching concerns are non-existent during fall/winter.  So, from that aspect, it is very environmentally safe and gives great piece of mind. From a turfgrass plant use, the real key to dormant Milorganite is all about nitrogen mineralization.  Consistent research results show that microorganisms responsible for the mineralization of the organic nitrogen in Milorganite remain active even in frozen soils.  The percent of nitrogen mineralization throughout the winter period has been shown to be in the 15% range.  This has been documented multiple times through university research.

Possibly the most researched fertilizer ever!

So for example, if you apply 1#N/M to your fairways as a dormant application, there will be 0.15N/M available immediately to the plant after snowmelt.  Nitrogen availability, along with the iron content, will produce tremendous spring green-up without any flush of growth.

Early spring fairway green-up.

Early green surface green-up.

This nitrogen availability will easily be 2-3 weeks ahead of any spring-applied fertilizer. The remaining nitrogen fraction will be released during the growing season to help with the peaks and valleys of a conventional fertilizer release curve. So, it’s that time of year to set yourself up for next season – using Milorganite as dormant fertilization will certainly be a big help!  Milorganite is a fabulous choice for dormant fertilization.

TurfNet TV - Latest Video is Live.....

My latest ON COURSE video for TurfNet.com is live. In this video I chat with John Feeney, Golf Course Superintendent of Estes Park Golf Course. We discuss how he deals with some of the largest Elk herds in the country and what it takes to prepare the golf course after the Elk have been there. Please click HERE to view. As always, thanks to my supporting sponsor Tanto Irrigation

TurfHead Jam Podcast.....

Recently, I had the opportunity to team up with my good friend, Dave Wilber for a "TurfHead Jam" podcast for TurfNet.com This was about as much fun as you can have when it comes to talking about the golf course industry. No script, no outline, just pure TurfHeads saying what they think! We talk about Tiger Woods, depression, clipping volume, and just a bunch of wisdom from two guys that have been at it a long time. Take a listen, click HERE and enjoy. 

Love this Graphic - Thanks TurfNet.com