Silt Layer

The weather we have encountered this year has been historically tough, but to this point, we have survived in decent shape. As we begin July, I think it is fair to expect the weather to remain warm which could present us with some challenges on the course.

I would like to revisit a topic I touched on earlier in the year when I was discussing aerification. As you can see above, we are battling a silt layer 3"- 4" below the canopy in some of our greens. The origin of this layer is unknown to me but my guess is there was an erosion event, either wind or water, during the original grow-in in 1991 that carried surrounding silt onto the putting surface. Over the years, the turf canopy has been pushed past this layer through topdressing. Unfortunately, the fact that this layer sits at the depth it does makes it tough to remediate quickly.

The only way to attack this layer is through years of aggressive core aerification, a process we ramped up 1 1/2 years ago. Progress has been made, but the heat and humidity over the last two weeks has exacerbated the effects of this layer. At the moment, the biggest problem we are facing is that the water we are applying through irrigating is getting trapped between this layer and the turf canopy. These wet soils lose the ability to cool down overnight which is keeping soil temps above levels adequate for root health. The wet soils also make the putting surface soft and spongy and prone to mower scalping.

Keeping adequate moisture levels throughout the entire profile depth is tough when most of the water is unable to percolate past this silt layer. Needle tining is typically the best tool to fight this problem during the summer months, but unfortunately this year, the effects of needle tining have not lasted as long as we had hoped. We will most likely begin needle tining on a weekly basis in areas affected by this layer. In addition, we may also increase the frequency of our topdressing routine to help protect the crown of the plant from mower scalping. Due to the high temperatures, this process must be approached carefully as to not cause additional turf stress.

The best medicine right now would be a drop in day & night temperatures and humidity levels. This would allow the soils to dry and cool down to levels conducive for root survival and putting quality.