October Bowls Diary 2005

October Bowls Diary

By Laurence Gale MSc

Ideally, end of season renovations should have been completed by now, making good use of the favourable weather conditions. Some delays may have occurred but there is little time for further delay. The longer you leave your renovations the less likely you will obtain favourable germination rates. Air temperatures tend to drop in October thus slowing down grass growth.

The aim of the renovations is to repair and rejuvenate the greens, repairing all worn areas, reducing thatch layers, restoring surface levels and re-introducing some finer grasses back into the sward. Once the renovations have been completed the greens usually remain closed until next spring.

Diseases, particularly fusarium are often prevalent during the autumn, mainly due to the heavy dews that are present at this time of the year. Moisture on the leaf will allow diseases to move and spread easily. Regular brushing in the mornings to remove the moisture from the leaf is an important maintenance regime to deter an attack of disease.

With the season finished and the green closed down for the winter, mowing will only be required to maintain a winter height of cut at 8-12mm.

Aeration will be a key activity going into the winter months. The use of different tines will be more beneficial rather than continuing to use the same tine at the same depth. There are many different aeration techniques available for use. Sarrell Rollers are widely used to open up the top 5-8mm keeping the surface free draining, thus helping to reduce the incidence of disease.

Aeration techniques using solid micro tines and knife tines, between 75-150mm, can be used for deeper penetration. However with the development of new technologies we now have available a range of even deeper penetrating aerators that offer alternative methods of aerating the soil profile. These come in the form of linear aerators such as the Earthquake that produces narrow slits to a depth of 200mm at 200mm centres. Also SISIS and Toro have manufactured a spiker that can inject air into the soil profile.

The frequency of aeration will also be dependant on weather conditions and the aeration method being used. It is not uncommon to keep aerating on a monthly basis through out the winter.

Brushing/switching of the playing surface keeps the green clean and removes any dew or surface water. Keeping the surface dry will aid resistance to disease. A sweepfast Cleansweep / Greensweep is ideal for keeping the surfaces clean, it not only removes the dew but collects any surface debris at the same time.

With autumn leaves beginning to fall, keep the playing surfaces clean and tidy. Remember to inspect and clean out drain outfalls and gullies.

Carry out any repairs to ditches, paths, gates, floodlights and other building features.

Keep an eye on your material stocks, remember to replenish as required.

On the machinery front the winter period is an ideal time to book your mowers and other machines in for their annual service.