PACE Turf - Turfgrass Information Center

Rainfall impact on sodium leaching at Denver Country Club

In the July 13, 2011 Super Journal report, "Rainfall impact on sodium leaching at Denver Country Club" (1.3 MB pdf document), we show the dramatic and positive impact that spring rainfall can have on reducing soil sodium and salinity.

In short, we saw that a 2.5 inch rainfall, which occurred over a 36 hour period during the spring of 2011, resulted in a 41% reduction in sodium, and a 19% reduction in overall soil salts.

In addition to causing general stress to turf and potential issues with soil physical properties, high sodium and high salts are also associated with rapid blight, a disease caused by Labyrinthula terrestris. In years when winter and spring rainfall is low, it may therefore be necessary to leach greens with good quality domestic water in order to avoid reaching the maximum levels of 110 ppm sodium that can result in rapid blight infestation.

Project title: Rainfall impact on sodium leaching at Denver Country Club

Principal investigator: Doug Brooks, Denver Country Club and Larry Stowell, Ph.D., CPAg, PACE Turf LLC

Further reading:

Video: Kikuyugrass aeration and topdressing

In this video, we illustrate the aeration and topdressing process that was developed by Brian Archbold, El Niguel Country Club, for management of kikuyugrass fairways. Brian has been using this process consistently for 5 years with good results. He switches to solid tines for aeration if he feels that the process will result in too many complaints from unhappy golfers. Brian aerates fairways in May, August and September. The process involves the following steps:

  • Heavy irrigation several days prior to aeration to insure that the soil is receptive to aeration
  • Core aeration using 1.25 inch diameter tines to a depty of 6 - 8 inches
  • Application of 12 tons of sand per acre
  • Flail vertical mow to break up cores and incorporate sand
  • Drag to further break up cores and incorporate sand
  • Mow to complete the process

Video: Kikuyugrass aeration and topdressing

Superintendent collaboration in action: The kikuyugrass excellence summit

PACE Turf member Kevin Hutchins at Mission Viejo Country Club in Mission Viejo, California sponsored the first Kikuyugrass Excellence Summit in February, 2010, with a mission to improve kikuyugrass performance by enhancing communication among kikuyugrass superintendents and sharing their expert knowledge of kikuyugrass management. More than 25 golf course superintendents who currently manage kikuyugrass met to discuss all aspects of kikuyugrass management as a fine turf type for golf courses. The group has agreed to have periodic meetings in the future to further share ideas and test results. 

Three documents were prepared for the Summit:

List of Attendees

Name JobTitle Company
Bill Houlihan Superintendent Black Gold Golf Club
Brian Archbold Superintendent El Niguel Country Club
David Michael Superintendent Friendly Hills Country Club
Juan Maldonado Superintendent Glendora Country Club
Dennis Fowler Superintendent La Jolla Country Club
Sean Cincotta Superintendent Laguna Woods Golf Course
Matt Deuel Superintendent Las Posas Country Club
Arnie Peredia Superintendent Los Coyotes Country Club
Jose Prieto Superintendent Los Serranos Country Club
Bruce Duenow Superintendent Los Verdes Country Club
Robert Gluck Superintendent Mesa Verde Country Club
Kevin Hutchins Superintendent Mission Viejo Country Club
Ron Benedict Superintendent Newport Beach Country Club
Larry Stowell Scientist Pace Turf
Wendy Gelernter Scientist Pace Turf
Pat Gradoville Superintendent Palos Verdes Golf Club
Jim Pitman Superintendent Rolling Hills Country Club
Gus Nelson Superintendent San Clemente Golf Course
Rich Liddle Superintendent San Gabriel Country Club
David Zahrte Superintendent Santa Ana Country Club
Kurt Desiderio Superintendent Saticoy Country Club
Mike Wolpoff Superintendent Sea Cliff Country Club
Ken Graves Superintendent South Hills Country Club
Candice Combs Superintendent Torrey Pines Golf Course
Jim Baird Extension Specialist UC Riverside
Pat Gross Director USGA
Tim Wren Superintendent Yorba Linda Country Club

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