Welcome to the grounds blog for Calumet Country Club, the source of information related to the maintenance and improvement of the golf course. Check here often throughout the year to learn about the work we do to provide the membership with the best possible golf conditions, look at interesting pictures from the course, get updates on the upcoming and ongoing projects, and get information about course conditions.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Mad Science?

Compared to many other golf courses, we've been pretty lucky to not have too many problems with moss growth on our greens, but some spots are starting to develop.  The worst spot is on the front right of the 14th green on the slope, which is where moss tends to develop. 

In the grand scheme of things, moss is a relatively new problem to golf courses for two main reasons.  The first is the EPA removal of mercury fungicides many years ago.  Mercury is toxic to the moss and now that all the residues of those fungicides are gone from the soil, the moss is able to grow.  The other reason is the low heights of cut that we use on greens can cause turf to thin out, especially in high traffic areas and on severe slopes, allowing the moss to encroach on the turf. 

Unfortunately, removal of the moss can be a tricky process, especially when it becomes a widespread problem.  There are newly available herbicides that are somewhat effective on the moss, but are not a 100% cure.  Since our moss problem is isolated right now, we are trying a different "herbicide" that has been known to be quite effective in reducing the moss population, but can also be effective in reducing the turf population.  We are using a mixture of baking soda and water applied directly to the moss with a handheld squirt bottle, so that we limit how much gets on the turf surrounding the moss.  We will make two applications this spring, I will keep you updated on the results.

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