Last time, I introduced the subject of Disturbance in bowling green ecology and maintenance. I finished by posing the question; How can we use disturbance theory to our advantage in our quest to create a Performance Bowling Green? To answer that, let’s look at what might constitute Disturbance in the average bowling green. As greenkeepers we …
Life after pesticides for bowling clubs, what a scary thought, or is it? Master Greenkeeper John Quinn explains why he believes the death of pesticides could be the start of a revolution in bowling green performance.
Compost Tea is a home made spray that is applied to fine turf to increase the micro life in the soil. It reintroduces missing microbes and boosts the populations of all of the main beneficial microbe groups such as bacteria, protozoa and the all important Fungi. Some of these help to degrade thatch, turning it into valuable humus, giving life and body to the depleted and often excessively sandy soil in many bowling greens.
Successfully dealing with fairy ring in fine turf is a challenge facing many greenkeepers, but one that can be broken down into easily taken key steps. The conventional remedies that feature the use of fungicides are simply dealing with symptoms and can guarantee only one outcome; temporary relief followed by a worsening of the problem over the longer term. In this article you'll find a pesticide free, long term solution that also alleviates the short term symptoms.
August is upon us and the days are shortening noticeably already. Thought's might already be turning to autumn and the plan for renovations of the green. My Greencraft Column in Bowls International this month explains how you can assess your green and make the right decisions for autumn renovation works.
As if by magic we've zoomed past the longest day already, but, the nights won't be drawing in, as my Mother used to say any time soon, so still plenty of nice light evenings to get out on the green.
Last month I talked about being vigilant for the common early summer disease problems like anthracnose and red-thread. It seems that was prudent as many clubs contacted me to say they had problems.
In Performance Greenkeeping tasks for July, I'm looking at the effects of weather fluctuations and share some timely advice on Localised Dry Patch, mowing, plant nutrition and an intensive, but cheap compost tea regime for struggling greens.
Thatch is the mat of fibre between the grass and soil on your green. Although some thatch (5-6mm) is desirable too much can have a devastating affect on the playing surface. When thatch builds up beyond the optimum level it can quickly cause problems with surface drainage, which in turn can encourage fungal diseases like …
Create a healthy living green environment. This question is an amalgamation of upwards of 50 similar search queries on the site this month. Essentially what these readers are looking for is a cure for Localised Dry Patch. As regular readers will know, using the word “cure” in Bowling Green Maintenance is an example of “Symptoms …
Already the relatively dry April and start to May has seen bowling greens suffering from Localised Dry Patch (LDP). As we have discussed many times on this site before, this condition is a major problem for bowling clubs throughout the UK and if your bowling green is aready showing the tell tale signs then you …
The great debate about green speed has raged on since the beginning of the game. But what are the factors known to affect green speed? In order of their impact on green speed these are the top 7 factors that you should bear in mind. Obviously there are others such as weather patterns, level of …
