Bristlecone Pines, May 23, 2011

Bristlecone Pines is currently treating two problem greens, three to four times per season with DryJect.  According to one crew member, those two greens showed the best turf response coming out of winter this year.  We have always had excellent injections here, frequently blowing out the bottom of the profile sampler, in excess of six inches.  Injection rates of sand have been between 450-525 pounds of sand per thousand.  With the tweaking that has been done with the machines, we are able to put even more sand in the ground than ever.

Here are some photos:

Check out this healthy shot in 17 green.  The sand column is thick and exceeds 6 inches into the profile of the green.

Here we see on 18 green where the shot appears to stop at about 5 inches.....

In reality it comes out on the other side below 6 inches.

Here is another healthy shot in 18 green below the 6 inch mark! Awesome!

Again, all this sand is going in the ground, with little left on the surface.  While individual conditions will vary depending upon greens construction, by and large the results will be similar.

Thanks for reading!!  Next scheduled job isn't until the last week in June at University Ridge in Madison, but who knows what can happen??

Oshkosh Country Club 5-16-2011

It was another great DryJect day at Oshkosh.  Superintendent Kris Pinkerton, CGCS and crew did a great job.  Most of the greens were old, native soil based with a good layer of sand topdressing built up.  Over and over, it has been my experience with what I have seen and also in my own course management practices, the frequent, light topdressing is the absolute best thing you can do for quality greens.  Bar none.  The frequency is a minimum of every two weeks, weekly is the best if you can manage it.  I always did the topdressing from spring startup to shutdown in the fall, with the last application being heavier to cover the crown of the plants following the snowmold fungicide application.  You do have to vary the rate of sand based upon the growth rate of the turf, but the frequency schedule must remain intact.  Anyway, on to the photos!

The DryJect process in motion.  Note the buckets as bulk sand was used here.  Sand is stored in a silo and dry, then ferried out in carts.  The alternative is bagged sand which is more efficient, but more costly.  You also need equipment to move pallets of sand around.

This is an awesome shot into a USGA style construction green.  Injection rate is about 500 lbs per 1000 square feet.

In this photo, the shot penetrated below 4 inches.  But note above where last fall's treatment shot (where the ballmark repair tool is) exited out the bottom of the profile, over 6 1/2 inches! OR MORE.

Here is a tremendous blast that went way out the bottom of the profile.......

.....exiting out the bottom of the sample to depths beyond

Here you can follow the trajectory of the shot from top to bottom.

Here you can see the results of one pass of a drag brush.  Finishing techniques vary from course to course depending upon equipment and manpower levels.  However you do it, the greens are playable with great ball roll, typically in the same day.  You simply can't beat DryJect for agronomic and economic benefits!!

DryJect vs Core Aeration Photos

In the following photos you will see some profiles that contain both DryJect and core aeration results in the same profile.  I have also included a few that show individual results.

In this photo you can see the large DryJect shot on top and below that, a 2 week old core aeration hole.  The core hole looks like a carrot, barely reaching two inches.  Also note that in the core hole, the sand has settled leaving a gap.  The DryJect shot is filled to the surface providing for smooth ball roll immediately following brushing.

Here you can see the excellent DryJect shot exceeding 4 inches.  Below that is a core hole several years old, now buried under topdressing.  However, you can see the same short "carrot" shape as the previous photo.

This photo is of a two week old core aeration hole.  Note the familiar carrot shape and not reaching even two inches in depth.

This profile is from the same green as the previous profile.  Note the healthy DryJect shot to 4 1/2 inches.

This photo shows a two week old core hole, sand settled leaving a nasty bump on the surface

This profile is from a green which I personally core aerated last fall. Note the limited area of soil affected and also depth not exceeding two inches.

Another profile on the same green, short carrot core hole

Again, the same green as the last two profiles with the carrot shape hole.  This is a backyard homeowner green, poorly constructed as you can see by the variability in the rootzone.

A great DryJect shot 6 inches into the profile.  Injection rate at this green exceeded 500 pounds of sand per 1000 sq ft.

My conclusions from the past two seasons of observing the DryJect process:

1.  There is no comparison between how superior the DryJect process is to that of core aeration in terms of depth and amount of sand put into the profile.

2.  There is no comparison of the superior playability of a DryJect treated green versus core aeration.

3.  I have yet to see a core aeration hole greater than 2 inches in depth.

4. Core aeration holes are very limited in the area of the profile affected.  DryJect with the "Lightning Strike" blasts reach areas that coring cannot.

I will continue to search for such comparisons in greens.  Coupled with the great penetration and efficiency of sand use, it appears that DryJect is a winner.

Westmoor Country Club May 9, 2011

The day started out great with sunshine.  Later in the day however, storms rolled in and we had to quit, returning the next day to finish.  Westmoor does at least two injections per year.  This year with modifications to the machines we were able to inject more sand in the greens than ever before. Bagged sand was used here and Jerry tracks the bag usage per green so we had great data to evaluate the process.  Here are some highlight photos.

Note in this profile the fracturing and sand worked into the subsoil

In this photo, part of the shot reached 6 inches!

The flip side of the same profile showing the main shot

Here, the shot broke into the subsoil to 5 inches

Flipside of the same profile showing a nice drill to 5 inches

Note here the "lightning strike" carrying sand down to 6 inches

Now to be clear, not every shot carrys to 5 or 6 inches but, consistently to 4 inches.  And this is a good thing.  You will not see this kind of mixing or depth in a core aerated green.  In fact, my observations have found that coring profiles show astoundingly poor results.  But that is a subject for a later post.

Next week: Oshkosh Country Club

Stoughton Country Club May 2, 2011

Another picture perfect day for DryJect!  Which this spring, have been few and far between.  Even though the sun was out, it was still cold and very little growth has occurred anywhere.  The first green we went to was in a wooded area so the soil temps were very low.  But what showed was very interesting.  In the photo below, you can see the pattern from last years' DryJect treatment:

DryJect pattern from last years' treatment evident

Another green with the same pattern from last years' DryJect

Note the injection reaching deep into the native soil to 5 inches

In this photo, the shot split in two; both reaching 4 1/2 inches

This photo is the same profile as above, flipped over to see the other side.  This shows how DryJect injections have a "Lightning Strike" effect on the soil.

Next: Westmoor Country Club