Thinning the Herd

This morning we vericut greens and collars.  Verticutting or vertical mowing is a cultural practice we use on a pretty regular basis to remove thatch and thin the putting surface.  During the growing season we will typically verticut greens 2-4 times in conjuction with our biweekly topdressing to maintain a firm playing surface and prevent "puffy" soft greens.  We generally see an increase in green speeds a few days following a verticut and topdress.   

The material removed when we vericut is primarily made up of old leaf tissue, stolons and sand.  Ideally we would like to see the first two and less of the third, like in the picture above.  We removed and collected about 5 cubic yards of material from our greens this morning, which will be headed straight to our compost pile.   

The main challenge with verticutting is cleaning up what is left behind the machine.  We collect as much material as possible in our mower baskets, what remains is picked up by a riding greens mower or blown off with a back pack blower.  Our verticut reels are set to 1/8" deep, so to me it's amazing how much material is actually removed from such a small groove.      

After a light topdressing, our greens should be noticeably firmer for days to come.  The grooves left by the verticut will be visible for a few weeks, but will not affect playability in any way.  Our main goal is to remove as much thatch as possible, replacing it with sand.  Thatch prevents moisture and nutrients from reaching the soil, and in the case of a putting green, can lead to disease and a decrease in playing quality.  This in conjunction with core aeration and lean fertility, are the best means we have found to keep thatch to a minimum on our greens here at Legacy Ridge.  



Here is a short clip taken from the grass plants perspective.