GOLF COURSE UPDATE
On 7 August of this year, a local public golf course began using Bactifeed. During the course of the use, I have been recording the observations of the Superintendent as to what he is seeing.
On 1 August, the city mandated a water reduction of 25% on all city courses. This superintendent waters every three days in the following manner: Day 1 Fairways, Day 2 Greens and Tee boxes, Day 3 Perimeter areas. He chose the permiter areas as the primary locations for the cutback and as of 14 September, he had not seen an adverse reaction to the water reduction.
In September, he also noticed improvement on the bare areas on the fringe of the greens, that they were actually starting to fill in. This September was the 2nd hottest (average daily temps of 84) recorded September in Arizona history, but he noticed that the driving range and other areas that brown up this time of year were actually maintaining their color and health, even with the higher temps and water reduction.
At the end of the month, he was able to cut back his watering to once every 5 days in the same manner as above. This did reveal a few issues in that he realized that there were a couple of fairway areas beginning to brown up after a week. Closer inspection revealed that two sprinkler heads had been overgrown and inoperable for a very long time (before his arrival at the course this spring), and it was only by cutting the water back was he able to identify those areas for repair! He also had a timer go out on one of his satellite watering facilities while he was on mandatory furlough. The areas, in spite of record heat and low water use, went approximately 12 days without water and while they did start to show, the situation was not nearly as bad as it could have been because the soil was holding the moisture.
Being new to this particular course, he found a fairly large supply of old seed. How old could not be determined other than the packaging was faded and disintegrated when he tried to pick it up, so he had to put it in garbage bags to transport it to the course. Some of the other courses had similar “stockpiles” and thus this superintendent began an experiment of sorts to utilize older seed and hopefully reduce the need for new seed.
He began the process by using this older seed in few places where he had nothing to lose. Typically, germination time increases and the percentage of seed that will germinate decreases as seed ages. While he did know that the seed was at least one year old, he began overseeding some areas long before course closure in order to utilize aging seed.
Within a week of putting the seed down, he began seeing germination, and a very high percentage of the seed. Learning this in advance of course closure now means he will be able to maximize the supply of old seed and put it down a week before course closure, knowing that it will more fully germinate when the course is closed and during the reduced traffic for maximum benefit.
With over 25 years in the business, this superintendant would not say that Bactifeed was the only reason for the improved germination time of old seed, nor the much higher percentage of seed that did germinate, but that a combination of factors were involved.
Most notably, the environment for the seed is crucial. The soil was in much better condition, held water much better, and the the water that was applied during irrigation was absorbed much more effectively than before. Thus, by creating a healthier germination environment for the old seed would be the reason for a more efficient and productive overseed, even with a seed of undetermined age.
It stands to reason that the soil was the primary reason for the decreased time in seed germination and the increase in the percentage of seed germination, even for seed that was over a year old, and possibly older than that. Of course, the fact that the improvement in the health and quality of the soil is directly related to the use of Bactifeed for the last two months.
