Page 14 - Gallery October Newsletter 2021

C O U R S E U P D A T E

F R O M

N O A H G E S S L E R

Overseeding

Every fall in the desert we have to overseed the golf courses to prepare a playing surface for the winter
and spring months. Even though we don’t have extreme cold, it gets cold enough to cause our base crop
of bermudagrass to go into a dormant state. Then in the summer, it gets too hot for the ryegrass to
survive. For these reasons in the fall we prepare the bermudagrass seed bed to be overseeded with
ryegrass.

The weather is the key driver for the timing of the overseed. Ideally the overseeding does not take place
while it is still hot due to the continued growth of the bermudagrass and the difficulty getting young
ryegrass plants to germinate and develop. If we wait too long, the ryegrass will be very slow to germinate
and establish. Mid September to mid October is typically the ideal time to overseed. In a multiple course
setting such as at the Gallery, we have to pick a time where we can get them both done as close to this
window as possible.

The process involves prepping the bermudagrass to allow the seed to get in contact with the soil.
Products are typically sprayed on the bermudagrass to slow its growth and also to dry out the foliage to
make it easier to mow. The scalping process is where the bermudagrass is mowed down to a low enough
level to get the seed to the soil. It has to be completed in a series of height reductions as it is not possible
to mow it low enough in only one step. At each change of heights, the clippings have to be collected and
removed. This is typically a time when verticutting will take place to help open the canopy.

Once ready for seed, the courses are broken into different areas for the seeding process. Our process

involves three different crews: a walking crew with small spreaders for small areas such as tees and
around bunkers, a perimeter crew that operates a large drop spreader and a crew that seeds the large
open areas in the middle of each hole with large broadcast spreaders mounted on tractors.

Once the seed is down the irrigation cycles can begin. At that point it is critical that the seed remains
moist and therefore it must be watered as much as eight times per day. This can be adjusted based on the
weather, but it typically begins around 7am and continues every hour and a half after that. During the
watering it is important that the irrigation system is checked constantly to identify and fix any issues and
make any adjustments to the schedule.

Germination usually starts in six to eight days but can vary based on the weather and the seed. New
ryegrass is usually ready for its first mowing around twelve days and after a few cuttings the mowing
heights can start to gradually be reduced. Early fertilizing is key to the establishment and has to begin
before we are able to allow full traffic on the new turf.

Each course will be cart path only for at least three weeks once they open to aid in the establishment.
Until then only essential maintenance traffic will be allowed for mowing and fertilizing.