The Western U.S. is currently in the midst of the worst water shortage and drought since the late 1980s. Hopefully we get more rain and snowpack yet this spring, but the way things are looking and with the information we are hearing from the media, we had all better prepare ourselves to start using less water.
With a drought contingency plan (DCP) golf courses and large properties can prioritize water use to be sure that the site stays aesthetically pleasing during water restrictions. Photo courtesy: Helen M. Stone.
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Obviously the latest buzzword we are hearing is drought. This is because we are in the middle of an extreme dry spell here in the Southwest. Should we really be surprised though, as we do live in the desert? We should all be responsible users of water, and promote water stewardship of our green industry as being concerned with water use and water waste.
It is for this reason that we should all do our part and help ourselves by creating a Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) for our large water use properties. Whether this is a school district, golf course, city park system or HOA, we all need to do our homework. We should create a DCP to help us better quantify our existing water use and map out what we plan to do if and when our local area or water district enters into various stages of a drought.
This article is written for all of us that do not posess a Ph.D. in Agronomy but still want to produce top quality conditions. Soil is made up of gravel, sand, silt and clay. It really is that simple and it is something we can deal with effectively. Everybody in this profession knows instinctively that good soil is crucial, but it isn’t always easy to get straight answers and figure out how to improve our soils easily on a tight budget.
AIR IS FREE
Just a half-inch core aerification, six inches deep with an SR-54 Soil Reliever can work wonders to improve the soil. Photo courtesy: Gary Kaye.
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Getting more air into the rootzone with mechanical aerating machines is the most basic thing we can do to improve conditions quickly. It is simply a matter of how often it is done and the methods you use. Once per year a deep-as-you-can-go aeration program should be the minimum.
Most facilities on a formal aeration program with an outside contractor do it twice a year. Those lucky enough to own their own expensive machinery may do it more often, maybe four to six times per year. Then there are those of us cursed with tight soil and no budget that just aerate as often as we can afford, but this is a basic maintenance function we cannot entirely do without.
