Bowls green performance and organic matter go hand in hand. In this article we continue to test our hypothesis about the effect Organic Matter has to bowls green surface performance. John compares the different kinds of organic matter in greens and shows how we can measure these to direct us to a better maintenance regime that focusses on performance and produces healthier greens and greens that are more economical to maintain.
In the performance evaluation of the bowling green, one of the key factors is turf grass density which is important due to its ability to influence other performance factors and in monitoring bowling green and soil health generally.
In part 4 of our series on the Performance Evaluation of the Bowling Green we move on to examining turf texture. Texture is closely tied in to some of the other aspects of Bowling Green Performance we have looked at so far in this series. Texture is one aspect of turf management that the greenkeeper can influence greatly, but seems so simple that it is often overlooked.
Measuring bowls green surface firmness is the critical 2nd step in the testing of our hypothesis on bowls green performance. In isolation, testing surface firmness only reveals yet another symptom of good or bad green performance. When allied to an assessment of soil moisture levels however, it can reveal some enlightening findings on the way to a Performance Bowling Green.
Bowls green smoothness and trueness are measurements that lie at the very heart of bowling green performance. John defines these elusive performance parameters and reveals some of the high tech equipment being developed for measuring them objectively.
