APRIL 2014

Well Easter is here, the weather has been more favourable than last year, and the grass has started to grow., but night time temps have been bordering on frosts of late and grass growth is very slow on the low lying Iford Bridge green.

I have started working on improving the soil biology and have applied the first application of a cocktail of compost tea, some soil conditioners such as amino acids, fulvic and humic acids, molasses, seaweeds and various minerals, an organic penetrant and finally an organic compound that boosts the oxygen available to the root zone. The effect of this will be for about a month, but I will make a second application earlier to give another boost. I am also waiting for some rain or the irrigation to be up and running to apply a further soil conditioner that needs to be washed in.

If the weather stays dry I will start light verticutting this coming week. This will start to thin out some of the thatch, will create just enough disturbance to encourage grasses to fill in some of the weaker patches, and hopefully out compete the moss. Oh yes the moss is a problem and after chatting with Alan D it seems it has always been so. I know the conditions are good for moss, low lying and generally on the damp side, but I do not accept the current levels. I am expecting as the root zone is stimulated back into life, the levels of moss will reduce and maybe even disappear. Well it is my job to be optimistic!!

Lastly I hope all the members, both new and old, enjoyed a bowl on opening day? I am hoping that I will get some constructive feedback, and undoubtedly some criticism. I realise that I am employed by the members to improve your green; to take it onto the next level. This will not happen over night, and I expect that progress will be slow to start with, but if all goes according to plan, the rate of improvements will increase, and in my year two (well here's hoping), that I will have brought smiles to most members faces.

Happy Easter to you all and hope you all have a successful and enjoyable season in 2014.

March 2014

What a difference a few weeks make. It has stopped raining every day! Hurray. 

I have been busy on the green, but also have taken the time to look up the weather statistics. The recorded rainfall for 2013 was 730mm, which is nearly 29 ins. Our expected annual rainfall is around the 32inch mark. Interestingly the rain fall for October and December was 129mm  (5ins) and 146 (nearly 6ins). So generally last year was a dry one, until the end, and we will not forget the Christmas Eve storm which resulted in the Clubhouse being flooded and the green being a metre or so under water. If my maths is correct, then that fact equates to some 1500 tonnes of water just on top of the green. I hear you all say, then it should be flat! We will see?

More seriously I have had a good month generally and managed to aerate / spike twice; verticut in both directions; apply two lots of fertiliser; overseed; sarell roll; spray a couple applications of iron; trim the edges and spray for laetherjackets.

The green is still suffering from the moss, but hopefully we are now, or soon will be, warm enough for the grass to push on and out perform the moss. I am largely continuing with the eco friendly approach and will be applying the last of the granular fertiliser applications next week if the weather is suitable. 

I will then start with the biological warfare! Sounds very scifi and scary, but in reality it is turning the clock backwards, but with the use of modern science. I will be following a programme which is similar to that of Gleneagles, who will be staging the next Ryder Cup I believe. This programme will look to use nature to break down the thatch layer; enhance the rootzone and hopefully result in a faster; truer green, which will have improved disease resistance as well. 

It will be very interesting to see how this approach works on your green, as it is rather unique locally in it's position. My personal opinion is that it will work better than before and be an outstanding success! Well I would say that wouldn't I?

With the new season just a month away, fingers crossed that the early spring continues and we have good growth when you start bowling.

Feb 2014

It has been a rather wet time, and to be honest not a lot going on. The odd day has been dry, and have managed to get some iron and fertiliser on in the last few days.

All in all depressing!!

But saying that soil temperatures are between 5 and 6 degrees C, and now we are having 12 hours day light a day. So lets keep our fingers crossed and hoping for an early spring!

I have applied an organic granular fertiliser, but only a 20kgs bag. So hopefully it will give the sward a little lift and get it away.

The very wet, but mild winter, has resulted in ideal conditions for moss! The continuously overcast days = low light levels + mild weather, the perfect conditions for moss growth.

But we must look forward and not backwards! So I have now everything in stock to get going as and when the weather allows.

The Club's mower will go for a service / sharpen the first week in March, and then I will be ready!

I must say I am looking forward to the 2014 season, I find it rather exciting; a new challenge; a great green to pit my skills, etc...

Jan 2014

IBBC Green November 2013

A new month, a new 'year,. Confused? Well the AGM has now gone, it is sort of a new year!
A busy week is planned..... a mow, a spike and a spray week.

I was chatting with a very respected local golf greenkeeper, and he tried Cyren (leatherjacket control insecticide) with a penetretive wetting agent. The result was fantastic he said. I then asked of he had considered adding liquid aeration as well, as he thought that was a great idea. So this week that will happen. Hopefully bye bye to the leatherjackets. That will be great news. The action of this insecticide is that it drives the grubs to the surface, so it will be very visible if control is effective, also a banquet for the birds!

I will be meeting up with an expert from a company called Symbio.  They have been around for more than 20 years, and specialise in biological control. I have used several of their  products in the past, and probably will do again next year! Will be interesting to hear about any new 'break through' products that they now have. I am sure they will have some 'must have' very expensive ones!

09/11/2013

The weather at last has turned more seasonal, thee was a touch of ice on my windscreen at 6.40 am, and it will inevitably mean that growth will just about stop until spring. But got the leathejacket control applied earlier this week and it is 'nice' to see a few pied wagtails feasting on the very immature leatherjacket grubs driven up to the surface by the insecticide.

Whilst I was walking up and down the green I was thinking about all sorts of things. One of them was the organic versus mineral fertiliser! I was fortunate enough to have spent my childhood on a farm, a great place to grow up. Thinking of what we got up to today health and safety would just freak out! But when we got home, Mum would run a bath and off we went to the bathroom. If she was very angry she would put in some Detol, to help clear up the scrapes and grazes, but the smell would stay with you for a few days after. If she was chilled out, then it would be salt she added to the bath water to act as a mild antibiotic / disinfectant. A bit like swimming in the sea is great to help heal surface wounds. So what is salt? Sodium Chloride if my memory serves me correctly? Interestingly nearly all the chemicals that end in 'ide, or 'ate, or 'ite are also salts, yet we merrily throw them onto our soils. Yes I agree that the occasional light application of mineral fertilisers will not do much harm, over a longer period of time there will be a cumulative effect on the micro biology of the root zone. I, you will be pleased to read, will not be going into this in any more details, but if you want to read further then search The Soil Food Web and be prepared for a lot of reading!

The basic difference in how these two basic types of fertiliser work is that a mineral fertiliser feeds the plant directly Simple as that, it is also easily leached out, etc... Organic based fertilisers work by feeding the micro organisms in the root zone, and they in turn feed the grass plants, and then they in turn give some back to the root zone and the process goes on.

So what is happening to the green. Well I have stuck with my principles and applied fertilisers that are 80% organic with added micro biology. This will feed both the root zone and the grass plant, and will in time result in a healthier root zone. When you take into account that I have had to spray a fungicide onto your green three times this autumn, whilst at Seafield Gardens the greens there have not been spayed at all with any fungicides since the autumn of 2012! That is what I am hoping to achieve at Iford Bridge. It will take a season or longer to get there, but it must be healthier for both the members and myself to play/work on a green that has a healthy root zone and it not being treated with loads of chemicals on a routine basis. I am not saying that I will not use chemicals, but only use them when all else fails. This will take some time, but I am confident that I will prepare for your 2014 season an improved surface to bowl on!

The coming few weeks will see routine aeration, brushing, etc.....  being carried out, and I am hoping that the green will remain above the water level this winter. Well we can all hope!

27/11/2013

Not so much going on now the weather has become more seasonal. pretty much routine now. Iron for moss control applied today, and the usual brushing and spiking; a mow every 7 to 10 days just about does it.

We all, well most of us, have sayings we love and some we do not! When I get asked if I have 'put my greens to bed' yet, really gets my goat! There is no such thing as all greens are living things, they just slow down, not stop! Rant over.

Next week a feed of mollases and compost tea is planned weather permitting, with the usual brushing, mowing and aerating.

The green is looking good in most places, but in a few spots the sward density is low, so this slow growth is appreciated. A early spring is what I hope for, as play will start in April 2014. From my point of view to early as the green will not repair itself until growth is underway.

31/12/2013

What a difference a few days make.....

Christmas Eve..

Just a celebratory firework, a first for me though!

Then Boxing Day....

Was then thinking that  a couple of good, seasonal cold nights and we could all go skating!

But no, Alan and his gang of willing helpers manned the pumps and now all is back to normal.

No much to report other than the flooding which regrettably got into the club house and did considerable damage.

But hey ho, we are nearly now into 2014 and putting my positive head on and now looking forward rather than backwards.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all IBBC members a very happy, prosperous and healthy 2014!

Welcome to All.

My name is Paul and I am both thrilled and excited to be entrusted with the care of the Iford Bridge Bowling Club green. 

Firstly I am taking over the green keepers duties from Alan Doughty and his very able team. Alan has both carried and overseen the maintenance of the green for many years, and I am sure that all the members, both past and present, have been very grateful for his time, effort, expertise, and tremendous dedication. But time moves on and the baton has been now passed on to me (so to speak).

So what am I going to bring to the Club?

The basics of good green keeping never change and that is fact! What does change is the fine tuning. I will bring some fresh ideas; some new and some old techniques; and maintain the level of dedication. 

How will this effect members? Well it is my intention to provide a green that will enhance all members bowling experience; a green that uses ecofriendly products wherever possible; a green that is sustainable.

I will start work for Iford Bridge Bowling Club on Monday 23rd September 2013 and get on with the autumn renovations. It my intention to update this blog in a regular manner so that all Iford Bridge Bowling Club members are able to be aware of what has been carried out with regards to the green; what is planned and my thoughts. I do expect that most of my thoughts  and observations will be positive, but be prepared for a few negative ones as well. Things do not always go 100% to plan!!

19th September....

Whilst I was busy working away this week, I realised how fortunate and honored to be appointed as your green keeper. A lot of trust from both sides! Then my thoughts rambled on to what sort of person am I? How would I describe myself? A grass nut! Fine turf freak! A boring grass person! Well by now you are starting to put together a 'picture'.....  but hang on that is what I do, not my personality. Of course I see myself as some hansom, witty, personable chap, but that is what I see in the mirror, not everyone else. And that brings me onto what do we expect a top quality bowling green to look like? For years we have been slowly but surely brainwashed by both direct and indirect advertising. Take dish washing products. For years we were told that plenty of soap suds would give us "squeaky" clean dishes, but now we know that the addition of so called foaming agents do nothing to give us cleaner dishes.....  take fruit and vegetables in the supermarkets, they all conform to a pattern, pretty muchly the same size, same shape, same level of ripeness, etc... but we know that misshapen ones taste the same, and indeed some taste even better. So the supermarkets have brain washed into believing that we want this uniform, largely tasteless, long shelf life goods, but for whose benefit?

 So is a really green, lush green what we want or have we been brainwashed into thinking that? I have a some friends that are head green keepers of some very prestigious golf courses, and when the TV is present that spray green dye onto any patch of grass that does not conform to keep the TV audience happy, or so they are told. Indeed several times a year I have a flier pushed through my door telling me that Green Thumb or some other company will turn my lawns into "green and healthy" ones, or some such similar wording. well I would challenge this statement and try to prove them wrong. I will go into more detail as treatments are carried out at your green, and try to explain the rationale behind my decisions and actions.

But for now I have made some of the early decisions on the autumn renovations for your playing surface. I have decided to stay pretty well traditional, and scarify heavily, hollow core, over seed and top dress, very traditional and very conservative. We will scarify a little heavier than usual; hollow core a little shallower than usual, over seed a little more than usual and top dress a little less., and the same amount of fertiliser. I will use a fescue / bent seed mix of which will have at least 4 different varieties all of which will be in the top 10 rated list currently available from the Sports Research Institute. The top dressing will be a 70:30 mix with added seaweed and zeolite, and the fertiliser will be a largely organic one from Maxwell with added trace elements and micro organisms that will start to degrade the thatch layers. The degradation of the thatch is very important, as this will increase green speed, the trueness of the green and increase disease resistance. All very important factors in giving you the members an improved bowling experience.

Well I feel that is enough for this evening and I am off to bed, and am really looking forward to starting next Monday!!

23rd September

They say that the sun shines on the righteous! Well it was a beautiful day to start work on the green. I managed to get off to a great start and verticut the green in two directions, followed by a scarification, power brushing, hollow coring and a further power brushing. A very good start, and the conditions were very good,.In all we got nearly 50 wheelbarrows of thatch off the green, a very good start. I got back to my yard to find that the seed and fertiliser that I have ordered have failed to be delivered. Very angry I phoned and was assured it will be delivered tomorrow. But the forecast is good for the week so I am not panicking at the moment. 
So will be there in the morning to blow any bits of the green and to tidy up the surrounds, but very pleased to have got off to a great start.

1st October

Time flashes past very quickly, but the weather has stayed warm enough to enable good conditions for seed germination. But this lovely weather is also great for disease to florist as well. So with Dollar Spot firmly entrenched when I took over, and now with some fusarium showing, we have a disease problem. I am loathe to spray at this time, as it will not help germination and also the new plants may not be treated. Anyway that is a decision that will have to be made when the weather is suitable for spraying, and that will not happen until Friday / Saturday.
Why is it when you are anxious to impress your chosen suppliers let you down? Roffey Bros, a well respected local company, have had plant problems and have been unable manufacture the top dressing! But saying that they contacted me today to tell me that it would be made and ready for collection this Friday. Well we will collect enough this Friday (weather permitting), and get the top dressing completed. I am NOT a fan of topdressing and indeed I have not put any top dressing on at Southbourne Bowls Club for the last two years, but will put on a ton on each green ends this year! So never say never!
I have used Maxwell as one of my suppliers for the last few seasons, and cannot speak highly enough of them. Very efficient; price effective; hold a great and varied range, etc.... but this time there hauliers have let me down big time! I ordered fertiliser and seed some three weeks ago, and it only turned up today.I have made it clear that it is not acceptable, but it has been a weird sequence of very uncharacteristic mistakes. So no problems as we had plenty of seed in stock and that was sown last week. So the green will receive 40 kgs of my chosen organic fertiliser that will give the green a timely boost. IF the green needs a fungicide this coming weekend, having the fertiliser applied before will be excellent timing.
So all in all the seed should be showing the first green shoots early next week and my tenure will have really started!

19th October

Well it been a while since I last wrote anything! But I am sat here listening to The Mighty Cherries playing away today at Nottingham Forest. And that reminds me how quickly things can change and how time flies by. It does not seem that long ago when Nottingham Forest were European Cup winners; had Brian Clough / Peter Taylor managing them; signed the first one million pound player and The City Ground was deemed one of the better grounds. Then they dropped down the leagues; were struggling financially, but now they are on the way back up, but The City Ground is a below par ground. Things can change quickly in this day and age!
But back to the green..... the renovations have been completed, scarified, over seeded, fertilised, hollow tined, top dressed.  
The green was in need of a fungicide application, but the first application gave poor control, so last week a second application was made of a different fungicide which ha snow worked. So today I sprayed on a cocktail of soil conditioners, seaweed, milk, molasses and a small amount of fertiliser to give it a further boost. This should have an immediate effect, and if it does not then I will apply a third bag of the granular organic fertiliser. which has thatch eating bacteria added. There are a few patches which have suffered from leatherjacket damage where the grass is still to thin. So on Monday, weather forecast permitting, another half bag of seed will be applied, after the green has been mowed to 9.5mm.. Also at the end of next week the first of many applications of compost tea will the sprayed on. I like to leave the sward a little longer at 9.5mm so the little bit more leaf affords increased photosynthesis, and more leaf area for applications to stick on to. The down side is that there is more leaf area for disease to attack. So it is swings and roundabouts situation. 
Leatherjackets can be controlled and most years one of the best times to apply the chemical is early November. But this year with the very late spring, but very warm 'open' autumn, we are probably looking at the second week in November at the earliest,. I will monitor that situation closely!
So to sum up I am happy with the state of the green, yes it could better and there is room for improvement without a doubt. 

26th October

The weather just continues! We have had a very warm, open autumn. The grass continues to grow  but the down side is disease is also a never ending problem! So it s 'half a dozen of one, and half a dozen of the other'!
The autumn renovations have now been completed. The green has been sprayed twice now with differing fungicides which appear to have eventually worked OK. I have also over seeded twice and used a total of 2.5 bags of seed, which is  rather heavy to say the least. I have also put on an extra bag of fertiliser as the green 'looked' hungry. Also 2 litres of molasses, with 3 litres of a soil conditioner (which contains some iron, seaweed, amino acids. humic and fulvic acides, etc). have been sprayed on as well. To finish up the week I managed to get a dose of compost tea applied. So all in all a good week!
I am watching out for the birds to get busy as a sign that the leatherjackets have hatched. There were a lot of 'daddy long legs' this year which lay there eggs in lawns, greens, etc. So I will be spraying twice at 14 day intervals, starting the first week in November. As the insecticide needs to be washed in I will try to apply ideally in the rain or when heavy rain is forecast. If the weather is not going to be compliant, then I will wash in with the irrigation.
I will be attending  your AGM, and look forward to meeting the members, and will be happy to outline my ethos on greenkeeping! 

28th October

The day after The Great Storm of 2013, or so it has been billed, and I could not gain access as a large tree had fallen and blocked the entrance way. 

It is a great shame when such a beautiful, majestic tree comes to a swift end! But that is nature I suppose! It just reminds me that my job is to enhance, maybe even cheat, nature and provide the best possible surface for members to bowl on. With that in mind I am attending a seminar on fine turf surfaces; with reports and papers on the results of the latest research  methods, etc. Should prove interesting although it will incur a 100 mile drive each way.
Tomorrow, weather permitting, will see the green mowed. I have put this off so that I was able to spray the first application of compost tea on. This was done Friday afternoon, and the green would have been mowed today (Monday). But this was not possible.... see picture. But I have to congratulate Alan and his guys with a very speedy response with the chainsaws! Great job guys, the local authorities need you to get things done!

1st November

Well yet another month has flown by. Earlier in the week I attended a seminar  and various aspects of fine turf management was discussed. One pertinent topic was at what stage should you first mow new seedlings? Well there are a few options, and different seed houses have differing thoughts on this issue  It is now well understood that if you mow new seedlings to early you will stunt root growth quite severely. Why? Well a healthy grass plant in a healthy root zone will create sugars and proteins  mainly from photosynthesis; the plant it self will use around 60% for its own growth and the remaining 40% or so will be excreted from the root hairs and used by the billions of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, etc and in turn they will do there thing and there excretions will be used back by the grass plant. So back to the original question.... well it is  no no to mow to early, and by that I mean when the new seedling is showing at least two true leaves. In the case of fine fescues and bent type grasses, that will mean not before a height of 25mm or so has been reached at this time of the year as the new seedlings will inevitably grow a little 'leggy' as the light levels decline. One guy from Barenburg suggested no mowing until the plant was 50mm in height! My preference is to give the first cut at around the 30 mm mark and then to mow down to just under the 10mm mark in two mowings spaced apart. I like to mow for the second time after about 2 or 3 mmm of growth has occurred. I also like to apply compost tea a few days before the first mowing so that there is plenty of leaf area for all those beneficial microbes to latch on to.
I am also seeing some moss appearing in the green, so this week I applied some iron and soil conditioner. I did not apply a high dose of iron, as I feel that it is a harsh shock for the grass. No doubt iron will have to be applied several times over the winter as the sward slowly thickens.
Inevitably I will be asked if I am happy with where we are with the green. I ALWAYS answer no, as there has always been room for some improvement. Looking back over the renovations I have made some errors! It would have been perfect if the top dressing and seed had been delivered when it should have been, but both were nearly 10 days late. Both companies I have used in the past and both have been very good in both quality, price and delivery! But this time not so with there delivery dates! Then the question of when to apply fungicides.. well I hold my hand up here and with the benefit of hind sight it should have been earlier! The first application worked in some parts of the green and not in others, and I held off the second application as I did think that the first one would eventually work. I should have known better!
So what now? Next week will see the start of the winter aeration programme which will be every 10 / 14 days or so weather permitting. The fist insecticide application to control leatherjackets, and a second one two or so weeks later. Monthly sprays of soil conditioners + molasses + milk. The molasses will act like a antifreeze (indeed years ago glycol was antifreeze, which is basically sugar), the milk as a very week fungicide and will also help with the calcium deficit, soil conditioners will help to feed the rootzone and also compost tea. BUt all of that depends on the weather and if the green is under water or not!
Every week that goes by I feel that I am getting to know the green a little better; getting to know which parts may need some extra help, seeing what products get the response that I am seeking. All in all a steep earning curve for me, but one that I enjoy!
I know that next spring the green needs to have a higher plant density; improved rootzone health; grass plants that have an improved structure ( and by that I mean a stronger  more turgid upright plant, so that the wood travels on top of the sward, so down in it! I often say that it is best to bowl on a Axminster carpet than a shag pile one!), and then during the summer the thatch levels need to be drastically reduced. I am aiming for a minimum of a 50% reduction! How I go about that I will blog about nearer th etime, but it will be using what nature provides, rather than fighting against nature.
By the time I write some more the AGM will have come and gone, with everyone looking forward to a successful  happy and enjoyable 2014 season.
Rather than just adding to make one page endless, I will start a new chapter each month. This does seem more logical to me.