Manakin aeration complete
Through some gloomy weather this week we pulled some organic matter out of the Manakin greens. The tines used were the same size that were used on the Sabot last week at just under half an inch. This aeration was moved up a month so that when things are fully operational again we wouldn't have to come out and aerate as we are ramping back up.
Our full time staff got the greens blown off and hauled away about 70 progator loads of organic matter. This removal process is imperative for a healthy season on our greens. The more pore space and air we can introduce to our greens profile the better chance our bentgrass will have to thrive through the summer.
Since we moved up this aeration and also clamped down on the budget, we did not incorporate the Dryject process on the Manakin greens. They are still scheduled to come later in the spring but of course that remains in the air. With that in mind we went a little heavy on the sand topdressing. There was no doubt we filled all the aeration holes to capacity and the rains on Wednesday helped settle the sand into the profile. As the Sabot has done, the Manakin greens will heal relatively quickly over the next two weeks.
We have welcomed the new soil moisture from the past two weeks. Even still we have gotten the irrigation system up and running. The pumphouse on 9 Sabot is fed by gravity from the upper lake. One of the intake pipes (16" in diameter) was leaking this spring and needed a new fitting. Our scuba diver had to come in, block the water from coming in the pipe and then our pump service contractors installed a new fitting. Not a simple job by any means!
Over on the Sabot it is easy to tell what our herbicide application designed to remove poa annua is up to. Some of the early growing bermuda has been bleached white from the application and the poa continues to yellow. Over the next few weeks the bermuda will grow out of the bleaching and the poa will hopefully continue to melt away. Each week the fairways and tees are filling in a little more and these surfaces will continue to smooth out as spring moves forward.
The greens on the Sabot are filling in and firming up nicely after aeration.
Dunstano is getting the new tee plaques for the Sabot ready for installation. After growing up in Mexico hand mixing concrete to build 5 story buildings he is laughing at the ease of this concrete job!
On the Manakin we have moved on to checking some depths on certain bunkers and starting to get the edges set for the season. We are still making an effort to rake bunkers as much as we can with a smaller staff. Hopefully things can get back to normal sooner than later!