Category: Greenkeeping

March 21, 2015

Thatch on the bowls green

thatch builds up quickly on unhealthy greens

After LDP there is probably more information on this site about Thatch than anything else.

Thatch production by grass plants is a natural process.

Thatch is the layer at the very top of the green surface between the green grass blades and the brown soil beneath.

Simply put; the bigger the distance between the green and the brown, the bigger a problem you have.

The denser and wetter and smellier the thatch layer between the green and the brown the more likely it is that you will be suffering other problems like fungal disease, slime, algae, moss, weeds, localised dry patch, bumpy surface, lack of green speed, lack of green consistency, grass growth problems, recovery problems, skinned heads, slippery surface and loss of grass cover.

Thatch is not an isolated problem; it usually comes along with some or all of the above.

To get a more thorough understanding of the processes going on here, have a look at this article.

For more detailed information on thatch, there are more articles here.

Performance Bowling Greens eBook is here.

March 18, 2015

Dry patch on greens

The condition known as localised dry patch (LDP) which is so prevalent on bowling greens throughout the UK is a very frustrating problem for many bowling clubs.

The frustration comes mainly from the fact that LDP isn’t a disease so it can’t be eradicated by a simple application of fungicide or any other chemical.

LDP is instead a disorder of turf that causes the soil beneath some areas of the green to become hydrophobic or repellent to water.

LDP causes large areas of the green surface to turn brown and sometimes even recede below the main surface level, causing bumpy, uneven surfaces and an increasingly poor bowling experience as the season progresses.

Like almost everything else that goes wrong with bowling greens LDP is merely a symptom of other issues present on the green; in this case excessive sand content in the green’s rootzone profile (topsoil).

The excess of sand makes the rootzone inert and unable to retain moisture or nutrients. More importantly, the soil can’t sustain a big enough population of beneficial soil micro-organisms, which would assist with the decomposition of thatch and produce essential plant useable nutrients.

The recovery process can take several years, although there will be notable improvements to the green surface throughout the recovery process.

To overcome this problem, it is important to adopt a completely new approach to green maintenance along the lines of the performance greens program and the single most important part of this process is to stop throwing tonnes of sand at the green every year.

More information here: LDP

March 12, 2015

Thatch Problems

Rootbreak is a common feature on greens where thatch is out of control

As bowling green maintenance specialists we get lots of questions every week about thatch. So here is a quick crash course on it; what it is, what it does and how to deal with it:

What is it?

Thatch is the name given to the mat of dead roots and shoots that accumulates on the surface of the green. Where moisture, nutrition and cultural practices are optimised for the desired grasses, thatch rarely becomes a problem. However, when soil air content is low, or if drainage is poor and the fertiliser program is not Read more

March 11, 2015

Lessons from Wimbledon…how to water your bowling green

We’ve just had the most amazing Wimbledon fortnight; lovely weather for the most part and to top it off the first British Men’s Singles winner for over 70 years.

One issue that has cropped up over and over again is the fact that the courts at Wimbledon are actively protected from rain and moisture during play and that presumably then they aren’t watered during the event either. This is a very controlled and artificial situation for a short period of time and you can be assured that the sprinklers will be going hard at Wimbledon this week to aid recovery of the courts.

This has fed into the age old debate about watering bowling greens. Some greenkeepers have a really tough job convincing their members that they should water the green at all during dry spells. It’s understandable of course because the hot weather seems to improve the green surface, especially in terms of speed.

There are three key things to understand.

The grasses we use in the UK are termed cool season grasses which means that they struggle to survive and perform well in prolonged periods of hot weather. Cool season grasses must close their leaf stomata in hot weather to preserve internal moisture and this has a negative effect on their ability to photosynthesize (produce food).
Soil and plant moisture evaporates (through evapo-transpiration) at an average rate equivalent to 25mm of rain a week even in normal summers.
Localised Dry Patch (LDP) is a devastating (at least to playing surface performance) disorder that is prevalent on many UK bowling greens due to decades of inappropriate maintenance and is exacerbated by low moisture. Once it takes hold it is almost impossible to correct in a single season. More on Localised Dry Patch here.

To conclude then it is usually preferable to water the green following a deeply not daily routine. The correct way to water a bowling green is detailed here.

March 9, 2015

a lot of hot air?

Air is a very important component of a Performance Bowling Green.

50% of a healthy, performance green will be air; 25% Micro-pores and 25% Macro-pores.

The Macro Pore or “aeration” space is where drainage happens.

The Micro-Pore or “capillary” space is where grass plant roots get their water and nutrients.

Tip the balance in favour of one or the other of these and things start to go wrong.

Compaction reduces the Macro air space in soil and inhibits drainage and root penetration. The soil now holds on to too much moisture and a whole raft of other problems ensue; particularly the build up of excessive thatch due to the anaerobic (lacking in oxygen) soil conditions brought about by the reduction in air space.

Thatch becomes a breeding ground for fungal disease and a base for Localised Dry Patch to take hold. The thatch doesn’t break down naturally as it should because there is a massive reduction in the population of aerobic soil microbes and they usually do this job.

Tip the balance the other way by applying excessive amounts of sand top-dressing and there is now too much air space, there is very little capillary space and the green starts to dry out too quickly. Localised Dry Patch now takes over, the surface is unpredictable and the soil can’t provide the nutrition the plants need naturally any more.

Yes, for a healthy living green that performs to order you need a lot of space; 50% air space.

Luckily, a healthy living soil knows how to do all of this without us.

We are only needed to help rectify the damage we inflict, which is mainly compaction and nutrient depletion through the removal of grass clippings.

Ahh! how simple!