BACK 9 FAIRWAYS & XMAS

I have been asked a few times this week, what has happened to the back 9 fairways, basically how did they get from something like this ........                            To This.......                                                                                                           
before Xmas
after Xmas
                                 
With the manual water system on the back 9, no watering of Fairways could occur over the extended Xmas period and combined with the length of time it takes to complete a full cycle of manual watering it means some areas go for 6 to 7 days without irrigation so dry patch areas of brown grass occur naturally as a response. 
It is a time where the benefits of the automatic irrigation system on the front 9 are very obvious, with the front 9 still in great condition.

The other main reason the fairways have browned off considerably is the from the use of a post emergent herbicide used to control Crab grass. With pre emergent herbicides having a lesser effect on the back 9 compared to the front, simply from the ability to water in the chemical soon after application to where it should be, post emergent control is necessary on the back 9 and not the front.
The herbicide used turns everything a white / brown colour,including the couch, (hence the colour of the B9 fairways) as a result of photo toxicity. Further, it is recommended that irrigation does not occur for 3 days after application and is why we spray at the Xmas period  because we can't water during that period anyway. 

The good news is, this browning off is only temporary, already with irrigation applied the 3 days of last week improvement has been ongoing and will continue to do so, within another week or 2 there should be a complete recovery. 

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