Author: John

Master Greenkeeper John Quinn is the author of Performance Bowling Greens, and several other titles on Greenkeeping, Club and Business Management.

November 4, 2024

Finding the Sweet Spot in Bowling Green Performance

The Sweet Spot in greenkeeping is when your green's Physical, Chemical and Biological components come into line to deliver results you couldn't previously have imagined were possible. Hitting that sweet spot is a lot simpler than you might imagine too, as focus on the soil's biology will naturally correct some of the worst Chemical problems and compensate for some of the worst Physical ones. There should be no problem "selling" this idea to your club either as first of all it saves money and secondly it massively improves green performance and consistency.

October 15, 2024

Turfgrass Physiology; Diffusion, Transpiration & Osmosis

Today, we will look at two mechanisms of turfgrass physiology that are active in our grass plants and soil and that follow this tendency towards equilibrium, without which our turf wouldn't be able to grow and thrive.

October 14, 2024

Turfgrass Physiology, an introduction

Each of the grass plants in our green is akin to a little factory where Carbon Dioxide and Water are broken down and converted to a sugar based plant food that can be used immediately to fuel the plant's growth processes or converted to starch and stored throughout the plant for future use.

October 13, 2024

Fix your bowling green step1.

I genuinely believe that it's possible to come up with a formula to fix your bowling green, regardless of it's current condition. This is due to one over-riding fact that I've discovered after looking at literally hundreds of greens. They are all at some stage of what I've termed the Circle of Decline. The critical factor in making this possible is simple. You must know what you are dealing with and there is no way to find that out without carrying out some hand dirtying investigative work. So let's get dirty!

October 13, 2024

Seaweed and how it benefits your turf

Seaweed extracts have been found to improve the quality of fine turf by increasing turf density, colour, and uniformity. Seaweed extracts contain betaines, which are natural osmoprotectants that help grass plants retain water and maintain turgor pressure, so should be a key component in the management and recovery of LDP affected turf. It's continued use results in a green that becomes increasingly resistant to wear and tear.