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typically have far more sand and less organic matter accumulation. Assuming the sand that has been used is of good quality it makes sense to give recycling a close look. On greens, the most common method of breaking up aerator cores is to shatter them by making multiple pass over the green with a drag mat. However, unless the cores are very dry the drag mat can create a real mess of the green. In addition, the tires on the vehicle used to pull the mat can close the openings of a high percentage of the holes making them difficult to fill when topdressing. To improve the process, superintendents are constantly on the lookout for better ways to process the cores to remove organic matter and leave the sand behind.
At Turtle Bay Resort in Hawaii, superintendent Mike Honma had very good results with the Toro Core Destroyer on seashore paspalum greens. He reported sand savings from $15,000 to $20,000 due to the high price of sand brought into the state. At a recent visit to Inglewood Golf Club in Seattle a new unit (Wiedenmann Core Recycler) was demonstrated that removes the cores, separates the sand from the organic matter, puts the sand back on the surface and picks up most of the organic material in one operation. Others have found that counter-rotation, drum- type brushes are very effective.
If you have the depth of sand where recycling makes sense take a close look at this process. What is needed now is a machine that will recycle sand while removing organic matter on fairways in wet conditions. For this agronomist, I hope it will arrive sooner rather than later.
Source: Larry Gilhuly (lgilhuly@usga.org) Information on the USGA’s Turf Advisory Service Contact the Green Section Staff
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