This article appeared previously in “Extra Ends”
By Charles Roach
ARE YOUR GREENS IN GOOD SHAPE FOR THIS BOWLING SEASON?
This article is based on greens that have good turf cover all over the green. If you have bare patches you should be attending to these first either by using plugs in small spots or seeding if the areas are a bit larger. If the areas are too large for either of these repairs you will have to sod the bare areas.
Once you have established good turf cover, there are two areas you should be looking at to improve the speed of your greens.
- VERTICUTTING
If you have not achieved the speed of your green that you want, try verticutting. Do this at least once every two weeks until the thatch is removed. If you followed the suggestions at the beginning of the article take care that you avoid going over any of the repaired spots when verticutting. Removing the thatch will also allow the water and fertilizer to get to the root system of your turf. Roots should be reaching a depth of 8-9 inches.
- MOWING
At this time of year we are in our best growing season. (The longer the grass the slower the green.) You should be mowing 3 times a week minimum. Lower the blades weekly. If you started at ¼ of an inch the next week lower the blades to 7/32” and the third week to 5/32”. You can keep the blades at this level for the year. Remember that the clippings should be removed as you mow. These clipping will become thatch if you leave them on your green
3 Comments
John Barkwith · March 20, 2020 at 3:11 pm
As the treasurer of a lawn bowling club here in West Island Montreal I have the following comment/question:
There is a good chance that our lawn bowling season will be cancelled because of the Corona Virus. In this case our club will automatically lose its main source of income. i.e. the membership fees. So, it’s natural to wonder how much of the normal expenditures on greens maintenance we will be able to avoid.
What is the best way to keep the greens (and the surrounds) healthy during a cancelled season? The object would be to minimize effort and spending during the season while keeping the greens in a condition which will allow them to be deployed ready for bowling in the 2021-22 season.
Does anyone have any ideas or experience in this matter?
John Barkwith
Treasurer, Beaconsfield Lawn Bowling Club
canadabowlerblog · March 23, 2020 at 3:16 pm
Hi John,
We are currently working on developing recommendations for a minimum standard of care for greens. Once we have something put together we will share it.
canadabowlerblog · March 23, 2020 at 8:33 pm
Hi John, Bowls Canada is already working with our Greens Advisory Committee to provide a resource to address care for the greens during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay tuned.
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