The Fungus is moving out and the grass is moving in!

Top: The #2 green on July 6th. left side and front bare from fungus.
Bottom: #2 Green Today. Fungus is gone and spot is healed.

     I was never known for my photography skills but I think the progress is obvious. It was a little overcast today so the picture came out a little flat. What is evident is the large fungus damage that was present on the left, right and front of the #2 green (top). When it wasn't raining we have been using a combination of nightly fertilizing through the fertiligation system provided by Turf Feeding Systems, Inc. and weekly organic fertilizer, soil nutrient, and fungicide application provided by Green World Path. We have caught up with the blemishes on the greens and also improved a number of the areas in the fairways. I have included some other photo's below. The original photos were not the best but I think the improvements are obvious.

The photo on the top right shows the condition of the 10th green as of July 6th. The back of the green was completely cover in fungus damage and dry damaged turf. Today there is no sign of the infected area on the back of the green.

#11 Green with several blemishes on the top left. Today we are blemish free.

Over the next few weeks we will start over-seeding and documenting our progress as we go. It has been a long wet summer but it has had one benefit. It has given the Sandhill Cranes a great place to hang out.

Finding food in #8 fairway.

October and things are finally looking up.

As of last Friday we were able to open the #1 Fairway!!

Last of the standing water right of #1 green.

     It has been a long road but we are finally out of the woods. As you can see from the photo the fairway is a light brown from being wet for two and a half months but we have it mowed and things are getting better. As some may know this study has started out with a bit of bad luck in that it rained more in the last four months then we have seen in years. So we have been moving water and fighting fungus. This does not mean we have not been working diligently on sustainability. With the help of the fertigation system we were able to push the fungus spots in the greens by syringing them with liquid fertilizer. This helped the greens come back well, even with the rain. (Photos follow shortly)

Water over flow from #8 tee

   Yesterday I sat down with Dori and J.B., two fantastic people, and we started to structure a plan for the next step in fertigation and growing in the rye seed.  Dori and J.B. are from Green World Path an organic fertilizer and organic pesticide/herbicide company out of Brooksville, Fl. Which is right in my back yard. We have been using their Eco Plus and Total product to fight the fungus that we had in the greens. (Photos follow shortly) This is our first step in pushing for a more sustainable future and I am as excited as I can be.

            I apologize for being lax in my blog but business comes first and with all the rain and troubles we have seen this summer my time has been limited. I still appreciate every one who has had a hand in this project and I look forward to a green and healthy future.