Seeding Roughs

We began seeding the roughs this week with ryegrass. I'm hoping that the cooler weather and the possibility of rain will allow us to germinate some seed without any substantial extra water. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has recently reported that there is a 75% likelihood of an El Nino this winter. If we did nothing, poa annua would fill in the thin areas, but rest assured, it would die again next summer when our water restrictions are felt the most.

To say that we have a tough combination of soil and water on which to grow our fairways would be an understatement. Recent soil analysis has us at over 50% clay (under 20% is desired) with infiltration rates less than one inch per hour. Add to that a water that is high in salts and a three year drought and you have a perfect storm for stressed or dead turf. The heavy soil prevents the water from percolating down, thus encouraging the plants to keep their roots near the surface where the moisture lies. However, with very few leaching rain events over the last few years, the salts have also accumulated in the same upper soil profile that the roots occupy. The shallow rooted plants typically die, while those with a deeper root system have made it through the summer. The layer from the dead turf further impedes the water from moving into the soil, often creating  a layer of algae.

If this year's El Nino prediction holds true and we finally get some significant rain, we will see a reduction in salts, as the volume and weight of the rain will finally move water deeper into the soil profile. Where the water goes, so to does the salts.......