Green Update 10th May
To The Hesketh Arms BC Committee and Members
I hope this update finds you all well and that you find them informative and useful in getting a understanding of what I am up to and why on the green.
Plenty of bowling has taken place since my last communication and from what I am hearing the green is playing well and we have had lots of positive praise from members and visitors alike.
I have just returned from cutting the green and I feel its in a very good place. Grass species are good with a little bit of the nasty stuff (POA)still about, I will attack this with the verticutter in the next 10 days. It had a feed 2 weeks ago with a magic mixture and the grass has responded well to it. Some of you may have noticed the green went black soon after I had sprayed it, this is down to the iron in the mixture and nothing to worry about, although I still have a little panic when I go back a day later and see it so dark….ill get use to it one day!!!
We had some tests done on the green yesterday (9th May) and the results are promising, the green is no longer hydrophobic (repels water) which is great news. The results did also flag up that the moisture is a little lower than ideal but nothing to worry about… yet!!!! I have some videos on my phone of the hydrophobic test taking place so if anyone would like to see it just ask me if you see me .
So, the bare areas….after a meeting with the committee is was agreed I would take some more drastic steps, I would imagine bowlers are avoiding the two areas so starting this weekend I will be doing a soil transfer. This will involve me taking cores out and replacing it with fresh new soil and also seed, the area will be levelled off and a germination sheet placed over the pegged now flush to the ground. I will remove the sheet for league matches but if it could stay in place for leisure bowling that would be a great help.
Once again thanks for reading, I will do another update in a couple of weeks which will focus on watering and bowling greens and dispel some myths about watering and green pace!
Happy Bowling
Thanks, Andy