MAKING TURF MATTER
www.turfmatters.co.uk
Overseeding when the course is busy
B
y all accounts, golf courses are in for a busy spring and summer this year! As thousands of eager golfers make up for the rounds they have missed over the winter, courses will be thronging! This will undoubtedly put pressure on greenkeepers, with increased wear on the turf and the reduced opportunity for ongoing maintenance. To maintain turf density, many courses will need to overseed their greens during the season. But with high numbers of rounds daily, this could be challenging. What is the best way to overseed busy golf greens? An innovative solution is to use the Dyna-Seeder units from GreenTek. These are a set of three seeding units which fit on all popular greens’ triple mowers. Their vibratory spiking action peppers the turf surface with thousands of neat holes. The seed is dispensed from individual chutes directly in line with the seed holes to minimise wastage. A rear brush follows to sweep the seed into the holes, thus
maximising germination rates, and the cost-effectiveness of your overseeding programme. Seed application rates are adjustable down to just 5g/sqm for bent which brings further economies on expensive seed. This means that these units will not only improve the quality of your turf, but also pay for themselves as they go. The real beauty of using the triplex mounted Dyna-Seeders is the speed at which the operation can be carried out, and the absence of disturbance to the putting surface. This enables the seedling to proceed without disruption to play, and means that it can be done during warmer periods for optimum germination, even if the course is busy. Through a programme of regular overseeding, not only can the turf density be increased, but also the composition of grass species can be altered and improved as desired. If you want greens that are comprised mainly of bent or fescue instead of Poa Annua, then use the DynaSeeders to oversow them with bent or fescue. After all, you grow what you sow! TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 49