Aerification

Aerification is scheduled for next Monday (4/18). This is one week sooner than normal and like last year the project will be done in house. We will be using a slicing tine which will make a very small hole that will be quick to heal. If it rains Monday we are able to postpone aerification for the following week at which time we will deep tine aerify with a rented machine. If we have to push aerification back these next two paragraphs do not apply. The reason for the change is to avoid a part of the year that take-all fungus has been very active and the tine choice is not aggressive to help the plant better resist take-all. It has been printed that aerification can increase the severity of the disease and it has also been written that aerification should be used to help recover from take-all. The big advantage for you is the greens should be recovered before May instead of a week into May on our normal schedule. The second advantage for you is the tine choice is not going to disrupt the surface a great deal. And the third potential advantage is I wont have to deal with a heavy break out of take-all. The disadvantages could be a slow heal because the weather can be suspect in the middle of April, but even a slow heal would put us ahead because of tine choice. And the second disadvantage is I would prefer to aggressively aerify greens in the spring because that is when bentgrass is putting down roots for the season. The bathrooms are opened on the course. New flags are out and ballwashers will be filled soon. We still have a lot of sticks to pick up, a lot of irrigation to check and adjust, and lots of pre-emergent weed control to put down.