Calabasas Country Club
Course Update
Most members who read my blog or have asked me questions about the greens know that a big issue at CCC is the fact that the non-potable water in Southern California is reclaimed, and as such has extremely high sodium content. Many issues we have with greens health could be resolved if sodium chloride water softeners were banned and replaced with potassium chloride water softeners. Many states across the US have already adopted the use of potassium-based water softeners. Unfortunately potassium-based water softeners are a relatively new product, and the households and businesses within the Southern California water districts are not yet equipped with the infrastructure needed to support its use. In the meantime, sodium management at Calabasas Country Club is a big concern that is constantly monitored and addressed with the following techniques.
1. Gypsum “Calcium”
· Bimonthly applications of soluble calcium are put down to replace the absorbed sodium.
2. Leaching/flushing
· Leaching/flushing the process of putting 6” of water down on the greens in a single night; this is the most important tool in aiding greens health. It moves the sodium down the soil profile and into the drainage. This is also why the drill and fill in March of this year was so crucial to open up channels that reach to the drainage. In some cases our 42 year old drainage system was not working properly which rendered this leaching process ineffective, and the drill and fill has been a good step in the right direction to restoring healthy drainage.
3. Humic acid
· Humic acid restores missing or used up nutrients back to the soil which feed the naturally occurring processes that maintain a healthy environment for plant life.
A few projects planned for June include:
· June 4th edging cart-paths
· June 25th Deep tine aeration
· Hydrojecting the greens; this aerates with water jets breaking through organic matter in the process.
· Flushing the greens to move sodium down the soil profile
· Wetting agent/surfactant application on greens
A few advantages of these wetting agents are:
1. Increases moisture retention; allows soil to absorb and hold water
2. Reduces frequency of watering
3. Reduced use of fertilizers
4. Optimizes maturation
5. Promotes deeper roots and increases the number of fine root hairs
6. Reduces labor costs associated with intensive turf management
7. Reduces compaction
