At this point in the season, when the club is buzzing with life and the match secretary is running around like a decapitated chicken, the bar is busy and there is a general air of optimism…it is easy to overlook the longer term planning needed for club survival and turnaround.
Define your club’s unique position in your community
…there can be no better time to get started on this. If you were a prospective club user or customer or member what would you rather see? A buzzing hive of activity and sociability now, or an empty, poorly heated clubhouse with very little sign of life in the dead of winter?
If your club is struggling, if survival over the coming 5 years isn’t assured, you can’t afford to not be doing this; introducing your club to the wider community and making sure you start the transformation of your club’s fortunes through the softer, people focussed actions, long before you do the easy stuff with trowel and paint brush!
I read various references to CO2 in fine turf literature but no explanation of its production and effect on turf propagation?
The role of CO2 in Turfgrass.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is extremely important in producing a high performance bowling green surface. Fortunately, there is no lack of it in the atmosphere, but we still have to make sure that the plants and soil are in good health in order for them to make best use of it.
CO2 is the basic stuff of life. It is taken in by the plant through the leaf and used (with water) to make sugars (carbohydrate and starch) in the Photosynthesis process. The main by-product is Oxygen which is given off through the leaf…luckily for us!
The Carbs created are then “burned” as fuel in the plant’s metabolic processes (Respiration), or stored for later use. The Respiration process results in increased biomass and gives off CO2.
For steady growth to occur Net Assimilation Rate (food produced) must be greater than rate of Respiration (food burned). Sunlight provides the energy for Photosynthesis, so growth slows in the darker months. Temperature is also important for Respiration, so growth slows in the winter months.
Chloroplasts in the plant leaf. Green colour due to Chlorophyll.
Leaf stomate. The leaf stomata allow CO2 to enter and water vapour to exit the plant
Although there is an abundance of CO2, the plants can’t always access it. In hot, dry weather the plants will close down their leaf stomata (where the CO2 enters) to conserve moisture. This causes an imbalance within the plant photosynthetic tissue (green parts) and Oxygen can build up to levels that far exceed CO2. When this happens a process called Photorespiration begins which is essentially Photosynthesis using Oxygen instead of CO2 as raw material. This is a wasteful process and results in very low or no net gain in energy. Plants then start to show signs of damage and health declines.
Simply put, no CO2 = no Photosynthesis = no bowling green…or bowlers for that matter (no Oxygen!)
As an aside, this is always a very popular subject with my students. When they consider how important grass is to life on earth for the first time they are amazed. Most of the world’s human populations rely on grasses as staple foods; wheat in the west, rice in the east and of course maize. The Oxygen manufactured (discarded) by the Photosynthesis process is of course vital to our existence.
Hope this is helpful, but it’s a vast subject in itself. I aim to put up some short online courses on these fundamental aspects of turf maintenance soon on Bowls-Central.
Footnote for our readers in South Africa, Southern Europe, Southern USA and Australia and anywhere else hot; the grasses you use are typically C4 or warm season grass species’. C4 refers to the first stable product of Photosynthesis, which is a 4 carbon sugar molecule. C4 plants use a specialised form of photosynthesis that is particularly suited to warm weather and which bypasses the Photorespiration phase, allowing C4 plants to thrive in very hot temperatures. The cool season grasses that we use in the UK and more northern climes are C3 grasses where the first stable compound of Photosynthesis is a 3 carbon sugar molecule.
Crows, usually useful messengers about other problems are the problem at Paul's green
Paul in Wimbledon has a problem with some very streetwise crows.
So far Paul has investigated for leatherjackets and has ascertained that thatch levels are under control.
I’ll let Paul tell the story here and then continue the conversation in the comments area.
All input and ideas or experiences from other readers very welcome. Let’s help Paul get to the bottom of this frustrating problem.
John
I read your articles with great interest and find them very informative and helpful. We have combined much of the information into the last couple of years winter maintenance programmes with considerable success, so please keen them coming. However, it’s now that we need your help and advice more than ever on how to eliminate the damage being done to our green by a family of crows.
Our club “West Wimbledon Bowling Club” is located in a residential area of Raynes Park in Surrey, not far from Wimbledon Common. Like most clubs over the last 10 years membership has decreased and we now function on a limit financial budget, hence we, or at least four of our member have taken over 75% of our green mamagement, under the watchful eye of a consultant.
Our green has been fully enclosed with an electric fence for the last 20+ years, which was installed to detered the urban foxes and we had been damage free upto about 3 years ago when the crows arrived.
Over the last 3 years we have been effected by a family of about 6 crows damaging our green. Initially the damage began with Read more
We can learn a lot from the Premiership’s problems
A BBC2 program “Lord Sugar Tackles Football”, exposed the failures in the English Football Premiership. In a nutshell the program argued that although the creation of the super league of top clubs had resulted in the generation of vast sums of money for football, the overall result has been to create a mountain of debt and indebtedness.
Lord Sugar’s conclusion was that something had to be done about player salaries to stop the rot and that the Premiership should allow one or two high profile clubs to go under to illustrate the dire nature of the situation to the Saturday afternoon faithful, who, after all, actually supply the vast sums of cash being dished out to the top talent.
What on earth has this got to do with your bowling club?
Well although not directly linked (unless of course a Premiership failure would free up some punters to come along to your club next Saturday!) the action required to start the turn around of the premiership’s fortunes is very much the same as that required to turnaround bowling clubs.
Now I know that there aren’t any bowlers, professional or otherwise earning £20,000 a week, but Read more
Another popular subject this month has been Winter Mower Servicing and in particular what you should expect of your local service workshop.
There have been many tales of work not being done properly and overcharging for service. Here is the minimum that you should expect to be included in a quote for winter service:
Full engine service including checking electrics, starting mechanism, new spark plug, all filters and oil change.
Replace bottom blade (new blade ground-in first)
Re-grind (not back lap) cylinder
Check roller bearings and advise if worn (adjust if possible)
Re-set cylinder to bottom blade clearance and check for even cut
Re-set mowing height to that specified by club.
Treat and touch up paint on any areas of rust
Check and adjust clutch settings
Check belts and replace if worn
Check Groomer and re-set to height specified by club
Check and adjust chain tensions
Lubricate all points
Free off and lubricate all adjustment mechanisms and check for proper operation
Check all cables for wear and replace/re-adjust as required
This is a minimum list and your particular brand of mower might have further items that will need to be checked. Check the manufacturer’s handbook for details, or better still request a winter service checklist from your local dealer.
Now is the time to check that this has all been done properly, not when you are half way across the green with a broken down mower on opening day morning!
