Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/46524
GREEN AFTER "BUBBLE SYSTEM" REMOVAL IN FIRST WEEK OF APRIL WITH HEALTHLY ANNUAL BLUEGRASS. putting the tarp down as discussed above. "My" preferred method, if you will, involves laying down a large diameter sheet of plastic air pockets (1.0 cm deep X 2.0 cm across). They have been manufactured for the specific use of greens tarping, not protecting glass for shipping. These sheets of pockets, or bubbles if you like, are laid down with the air spaces down. The sheets come in 12 by 100 foot rolls and are extremely light weight. They can be transferred to each green with the lightest of utility vehicles and can be unrolled by one person with ease. One "pins" them down using typical tarp or sod staples every 30 feet or so along the length (depending on the wind that day). The air pockets are strong enough to be walked on without a care of popping them. Once one has reached the end of the green, the roll is cut and continued along the adjacent portion of the green to be tarped. An impermeable tarp is used to cover the entire green once the sheets are laid down. Pinning is done as with any tarp and, of course, the more staples the better, especially in areas of high wind. This method can be walked on at any time, without fear of popping bubbles, or causing damage to the turf. Depending on the green complex being protected, there may be a need to "cut" the cover tarp "in" to try and fully prevent water from seeping under the system during melt or freeze / thaw and to prevent crown hydration. Some greens, especially older courses, were built to hold moisture not shed it. The complexes see water run off mounds and rolls only to be caught in depressions or drain paths on the green itself. If this is the case, I highly suggest taking an edger and cutting a small slit in the soil along the perimeter of the greens most vulnerable seeping points. By tucking the tarp into the "seam" then stapling down, it will go a long way in preventing water entering the system underneath the tarps. And that's it. I choose to apply a light top dress right after the final winter chemicals are applied and a few days prior to the bubble installation process. Quick and easy with tremendous results. This method is fast, efficient and uses lightweight vehicles to travel about the course in the Fall. Spring pick up is just as fast and there isn't any straw to deal with. (Can you hear former straw users sigh in relief?) Let's examine this method more closely and its effects on the 4 injuries... 1) Desiccation – is non- existent