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Bowls Green Maintenance Public Enemy No.1

What is the single most important area of maintenance to concentrate on for a performance green?

If we want to save money on bowling green maintenance, where should we concentrate our spending?

What will give us the most bang for our buck?

3 variations of the same question that crop up on an almost daily basis here at bowls-central.

The answer is Thatch.

However, this simple one word answer is almost never received with the open arms I expect it to be.

After asking questions like the above, it seems that most enquirers are instantly deflated and disappointed with the brevity and simplicity of the answer, but this is the very essence of Performance Bowling Green Maintenance.

Click here to get started on your journey to a Performance Bowling Green.

My Bowls Green is a Disaster what can be done?

Get back to the basics of thatch and compaction control

Here we go with our next web search term that resulted in someone finding this site.

I picked this one today, because it sounds like this search was instigated by someone who really needs help quickly.

This kind of situation calls for a level headed approach. At times like this, when it appears that all is lost and you feel like digging up the green and starting again, it’s easy to Read more

Spring green renovation.

the new season is almost here

Spring bowling green renovation should be focussed on 3 main components:

1. the completion of the winter, deep aeration program
2. rejuvenation and aeration of the green surface
3. nutritional corrections

On greens in the non-drought affected areas of the UK, it should still be OK to carry out slit tining.

This is the last time we will get a chance to do this until autumn.

Two final operations with this machine will make all the difference to the greens ability to resist compaction in the early part of the season.

In drier areas, mini solid tining might be preferable and this can be done in addition to the slit tining in other areas.

If you have a thatchy green; identified by spongy turf, disease problems in winter and general poor health; you should scarify the green quite harshly in two directions to remove some of the fibre and mat that has built up over the winter months.

On healthier greens, where over-seeding was carried out last autumn you should avoid heavy scarification.

Lighter verti-cutting can commence once the sward is growing vigorously in May.

A question I get asked a lot is:

“ How much top-dressing should be applied in spring?”

The answer is a resounding “None”

Good luck with your spring bowling green renovation work.

Tomorrow we will have a look at turf nutrition requirements for pre-season

More detailed information on aeration here, thatch here and a range of one page factsheets here

Why is Thatch the single biggest problem in Bowls Green Maintenance?

We have had a few queries asking about thatch; actually a few readers asking for a definitive description of thatch and its associated problems, so here it is:

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 optimised for the prevailing conditions, thatch can become a problem. In severe cases the major root mass might only exist within this layer and this leaves the green susceptible to drying out in summer and to the heads “skinning” (loss of turf cover) in wet weather. Thatch is also a major contributor in the Read more