Winter Golf Course Maintenance

Greens:

As most soils are below 12 degrees Celsius you have minimum root uptake during this time.

We have however seen benefits of regular spoon feeding as well as increased rooting with low rates of QuaIibra - a wetting agent allowing water to move off the surface & holding 21 % more moisture in the rootzone.

Hand removal of poa & moss is always advisable to avoid this spreading.

Check your irrigation & maintain each sprinkler. I personally prefer a 360 sprinkler on the greens & half circles on the greens surrounds.

Check the greens drainage points - ensure your greens are all freely draining - even when the dam levels rise in summer.
Add in sump pumps where greens will in fact be draining under water.

Pigments:
What an amazing product Ryder is. It protects your turf from heat and cold stress as well as increasing the efficacy of fungicides in your tank mix.

Disease management:
Autumn & early winter are your opportunity to set up your bermuda, paspalum & kikuyu for a fantastic season ahead.
This is the time to clean up your soil borne diseases to prevent them getting progressively worse each year. Most of the
Rhizoctonia diseases are spread by dead & live mat­ ter. It is imperative to get your systemic fungicide like Headway Maxx down prior to doing spring & autumn treatment.

Irrigation:
This is a wonderful opportunity to service each sprinkler head and ensure your system is operating well for the season ahead.
Plan ahead. Prevent fighting fires & you will reap the benefits of a great playing surface!