Last week rain, this week freezing temperatures. With highs in the 20's, drainage work is not getting done this week as the ground is too frozen to trench. However, the frozen ground did provide us with an excellent opportunity to apply lime to the course. With the ground frozen, the truck applying the lime could simply drive over wet areas without causing any ruts.
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| Applying lime on hole #1 |
Lime is primarily a soil amendment or conditioner and not a
fertilizer, as is commonly thought. Lime performs several important functions in the turf. First and most commonly known is that it corrects soil ph. Second is that it furnishes important plant nutrients—calcium and magnesium. Calcium acts as a regulator and aids in bringing about the desirable range of
availability of many plant nutrients. Lime also reduces the solubility and toxicity of certain elements in the soil such as
aluminum, manganese, and iron. This toxicity has the ability to reduce plant growth under
acid conditions.
We applied what is called pulverized high calcium lime. Using this type of lime has a couple benefits on the course. Being pulverized to the consistency of sand, the lime spreads easily and easily penetrates the turf canopy. Additionally it is not caustic like hydrated lime, which can damage equipment.
