DRY PATCH

 

Dry patch in turf has been associated with soil borne micro-organisms which make the soil resistant to wetting, particularly on sand-based golf greens (. Dry patch normally occurs when moisture stress appears due to hot, dry conditions or in the spring before the irrigation system is functional. Symptoms of dry patch are irregularly shaped patches of turf that are bluish in colour, lack turgor, and are prone to foot printing. With water unable to move into the soil, root death occurs and the site becomes aesthetically unattractive and functionally unappealing. The addition of wetting agents to the dry patch site assists water infiltration and percolation by reducing the surface tension of water.

 

Like all courses in our climate we suffer from dry patch during the summer months. For this very reason you may see our staff using water hoses with a wetting agent applicator. The wetting agent we are using is a natural product made out of Yucca extract.

 

We are also using a natural insecticide made out of Neem oil, which comes out of a tree that grows in India ( Azadiractha indica) and it is approved by the European community for organic agriculture. Our approach is to use as many biological products as possible to maintain our environment as pure as we can.