Creeping Bent

After going through my first summer last year, it became very evident that our Poa Annua greens here at Boulder Country Club were not made for tolerating stress.  The scales had been tipped in the favor of Poa Annua for a long time here, and the Poa populations on greens one year ago were approximately 80-90% throughout the course.

 A combination of summer heat, mechanical stress and foot traffic resulted in severe stress on the Poa.  We began interseeding the greens with T-1 Creeping Bentgrass this past fall.  Greens have been seeded 3 separate times this spring, with more to come.  Sowing Creeping Bentgrass seed is not the only answer to the problems on greens.  I have adjusted most if not all of the management practices and it has shown great results.  We are putting as many things in place to have healthier greens and to incorporate as much Bentgrass into the greens as possible.  These practices not only tip the scale in favor for the Bent, but also result in healthier greens overall.  These practices have resulted in greens that are firm and we maintain green speeds that are consistent throughout the course.  I should add that the speed of the greens has also been a non-issue for us, we are achieving our goals and sometimes exceeding them on a daily basis.  The practices that we have put in place includes but is not limited to:

* Very aggressive greens aerification
* Raising the height of cut
* Reducing mechanical stress
* Increasing topdressing
* Reducing Nitrogen fertilizer
* Taking a completely different approach to irrigation management


We have been able to put all of these practices in place throughout the spring and early summer, and with the heat we have had this week (Sunday was 95.6F, Monday 98.7F, and today was a balmy 93.9F), the results speak for themselves.

Our T-1 establishing itself within the Poa Annua canopy on #10

This picture is from the back of #9.  Below my thumb you can see where the Poa Annua roots end, anywhere from 4-6" down.  I purposely took this sample where there was a patch of Bentgrass in the center of the Poa.  You can see clearly how long that grouping of roots is where the Bentgrass is located, about 8-9" down in the rootzone

This is a better perspective picture on #18, the dark green areas are Bent, the lighter colored grass is the Poa Annua.  

This picture is my favorite, it was taken from a sample taken on the back of #5 .  This green, along with #6, #10 and #18  are the most advanced as far as the Bentgrass conversion goes.  If you click on this picture to expand it, you will see the ends of the roots hanging out of the bottom of the sample, with the Bentgrass roots pegged into the clay.

With all of this being said, we have a long way to go until we can reach our goals on greens.  There is a lot of promise in continuing these maintenance practices throughout the summer and for summers to come.  There is a lot more bent within the greens that is difficult to see until you crouch down and peer between the leaves.  It almost seems like it is just waiting for the Poa to drought stress so that it can begin to spread.  We are at the beginning of what will be a long process, but from what I have seen and what golfers have experienced we are already several steps in the right direction.