Wednesday, June 19, 2013

10 Lawn Irrigation Tips

 
As we approach the hot stretch of summer, water management becomes extremely important. The UNL extension office has put together a list of things to do and look out for while fine tuning your system for the summer months.
Top 10 Lawn & Landscape Irrigation Tips
By John Fech, UNL Extension Horticulture Educator
Image of turf irrigation headThe good news about lawn and landscape irrigation is that you can have your cake and eat it, too! Lawns and landscapes can be designed and maintained to be good looking and water conserving. From the home office in Wahoo, NE, following are 10 useful tips (David Letterman style) to accomplish both objectives.
10. Monitor system output. Measure the amount of water applied in a 15 minute period using collection devices such as tuna or coffee cans. Adjust the run time to deliver the required amount.
9. Know how much water is needed. Kentucky bluegrass lawns, in general, require 1 inch per week in April and May, 1-1/4 inch per week in June, 1-1/2 in July and August, 1 -1/4 in September and 1 inch in October.
8. Measure water penetration. Use a screwdriver or soil probe to measure moisture (rainfall + irrigation water) penetration into the lawn.
7. Water to the bottom of the roots. Use a small shovel to determine how deep the roots are. Actually the soil should be kept moist to about half an inch deeper than the deepest roots to encourage downward growth. Roots are shallow in summer and deeper in spring/fall.
6. When watering on a slope, use “delayed starts.” Run your sprinklers until you notice runoff, then stop. Wait 3 hours, then resume. Aerate to increase infiltration.
5. Water in the early morning (4am to 10am). This allows the grass blades to dry, making them less susceptible to foliar diseases. Watering is more efficient in morning due to less evaporation and wind speed. Change the time that your system runs monthly, or at least seasonally. Contact a lawn sprinkler professional if you need help.
4. Observe your sprinkler system once per month. Look for heads that don’t turn, heads that spray into the street or onto a sidewalk, bent or damaged heads, clogged or worn nozzles or orifices, turf growth around heads that impede water delivery, puddling and runoff.
3. Monitor the spray patterns. Adjust heads as landscape plants grow larger and begin to block the spray pattern. New installations of benches, decks, etc. can also decrease irrigation efficiency.
2. On days when temperatures are above 90°F, run your sprinklers 5 to 10 minutes per zone in the afternoon to cool the turf and reduce stress. This is called “spritzing,” and it reduces the symptoms of summer patch disease.
1. Create water zones by putting plants together that have similar water needs. Each turf species has a different water requirement which is also distinct from ornamentals. Ornamental plants should be grouped into low, moderate and high water users. Each zone of plants should be irrigated according to its needs.

Friday, June 14, 2013

Vandalism

Three divots were discovered on greens today as a result of someone swinging their club on the green. This is the fifth instance of this type of damage this season. This is far more than any other year at this time. If you see or hear of someone doing this please step in and say something to them and inform the golf shop. If you are caught doing this, you will be asked to leave the course immediately.




Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Course Update

The course seems to be handling the spring fairly well. The putting surfaces were lagging slightly due to the cooler, wet weather, but with the recent warm temperatures and sunshine, they seem to be waking up. Hopefully not too much.

We have dropped the height of cut on Red Feather and Black Bird greens quite a bit and anticipate that, in time, this will result in smoother, quicker greens with a much finer texture. Unfortunately, the greens on Gray Hawk will be maintained at a slightly higher height with higher nutritional inputs to aid them through their first year. This will result in greens that are slightly slower and maybe not quite as smooth. We contemplated leaving the greens on Red Feather and Black Bird a bit taller to provide consistency between courses, but it is time that the older greens are maintained the way they are meant to be.
       
#9 Gray Hawk from the new black tee

The grow-in of the fairways on Gray Hawk has suffered the most from the cool, wet temperatures. The soil temps couldn't seem to maintain adequate levels to promote germination and growth. We will continue to push these fairways, but the heat of the summer is right around the corner, which, for all intents and purposes, will shut down any further improvements in density. Cart path restrictions on Gray Hawk will be lifted this Saturday with the understanding that any indication of major traffic stress throughout the summer, the restrictions can be reimplemented. With as little maturing time as those fairways have had, it will be important that we "baby" them as much as possible. The more turf we can get through this first year, the better they will be entering 2014.


 
#4 Red Feather from the black tee.