Poking Holes

In the last 45 days we have had on .68” of precipitation and the short comings of the irrigation system are in full view. Not only have there been numerous component failures, but the sprinkler coverage is far less than perfect. Many localized dry spots have shown up in the fairways and they are incredibly hard to re-wet once the thatch layer has dried out. We have been using wetting agents drenches in spots to penetrate with moderate success levels and have recently begun spiking fairway areas.

View Of Spiker / Seeder

We have a needle tine drum seeder that works great to create surface holes the size of a pencil tip that penetrates the turf surface. The tines will go down to a depth of 1.5inches with a spacing of one inch. These surface holes now allow for easier water penetration into these problematic fairway areas.

Close Up Of Holes In Fairway

Wetting Agents

Wetting agents are commonly used on golf courses to deal with hydrophobic soil conditions. Soils that are hydrophobic actually causes water to collect on the surface rather than infiltrate into the ground due to a repelling of the water from the soil particle.

We routinely use wetting agent products to reduce the surface tension in the soil that will allow for better water penetration. These hydrophobic conditions that exist are magnified by the presence of sodic soil conditions which is a problem we deal with on a daily basis.

Newly sodded areas on the course are commonly drenched with a wetting agent to help with moisture retention so that a quick establishment can take place.

Wetting Agent Drench Being Applied To New Sod