Compost Application

We are applying compost to the playing surfaces (Tees, Fairways and Rough) starting with the tees. There are a number of benefits as follows from Washington State University.

Compost Benefits

Using compost as mulch, in the soil or as potting media is beneficial in many ways.
Compost contains a full spectrum of essential plant nutrients. You can test the nutrient levels in your compost and soil to find out what other supplements it may need for specific plants.

• Compost contains macro and micronutrients often absent in synthetic fertilizers.
• Compost releases nutrients slowly—over months or years, unlike synthetic fertilizers
• Compost enriched soil retains fertilizers better. Less fertilizer runs off to pollute waterways.
• Compost buffers the soil, neutralizing both acid & alkaline soils, bringing pH levels to the optimum range for nutrient availability to plants.

Compost helps bind clusters of soil particles, called aggregates, which provide good soil structure. Such soil is full of tiny air channels & pores that hold air, moisture and nutrients.

• Compost helps sandy soil retain water and nutrients.
• Compost loosens tightly bound particles in clay or silt soil so roots can spread, water drain & air penetrate.
• Compost alters soil structure, making it less likely to erode, and prevents soil spattering on plants—spreading disease.
• Compost can hold nutrients tight enough to prevent them from washing out, but loosely enough so plants can take them up as needed.
• Compost makes any soil easier to work.

Compost brings and feeds diverse life in the soil. These bacteria, fungi, insects, worms and more support healthy plant growth.

• Compost bacteria break down organics into plant available nutrients. Some bacteria convert nitrogen from the air into a plant available nutrient.
• Compost enriched soil have lots of beneficial insects, worms and other organisms that burrow through soil keeping it well aerated.
• Compost may suppress diseases and harmful pests that could overrun poor, lifeless soil.

Healthy soil is an important factor in protecting our waters. Compost increases soil’s ability to retain water & decreases runoff. Runoff pollutes water by carrying soil, fertilizers and pesticides to nearby streams.

• Compost encourages healthy root systems, which decrease runoff
• Compost can reduce or eliminate use of synthetic fertilizers
• Compost can reduce chemical pesticides since it contains beneficial microorganisms that may protect plants from diseases and pests.
• Only a 5% increase in organic material quadruples soils water holding capacity.

Course Update

Yesterday,  we welcomed the much needed slow rain for the golf course. We had one sod truck delivered and this quickly was laid out on holes 1 and 18. We were a little short but we new that and had planned for another truck to arrive on Friday. The rain put us behind and we will finish our current areas next week. All areas will be painted ground under repair and we ask you you avoid driving and walking in these areas.  We also started to top dress some areas with compost in the rough to help with traffic and drought tolerance, this also helps the new sod establish it self very quickly.

We are revamping our divot mix on the golf course. With the help from a friend of mind who has seen good results from incorporating a specific seed mix into the divot mix, this has helped fill in the areas quicker. What was interesting is that the grass seed that we are using will sprout up to give a cover then the bent grass will over take it. The mix is a 50/50 mix of sand and compost, sand for drainage and compost to hold moisture for the seed. We are still working out the fine details but this should help our divot recovery program on the fairways and tees.

Top dressing sod areas and rough with compost

Concrete mixer we rented to prepare the divot mix

Look carefully and you can see the seed in the divot mix

Course Update

We have made great progress on the rough with the seeding project. We will continue with seed but the majority of our spots will be sodded for faster recovery times. I have started to implement a top dressing program in the rough using compost. Our irrigation coverage is lacking and the areas we get hurt on are the areas that have improper irrigation. What the compost will do for us is provide a seed bed and over time we will start to hold a moisture reservoir so to speak. Of course the other benefit is amending our clay soils with a growing medium for proper growing conditions, something that our entire rough needs.