Top Dressing Green

     We top dressed all greens last week.  I have a video below showing how we do this important cultural practice.  Top dressing does a number of thing for us.  1.  Improves smoothness -Voids exists in the canopy of the grass plant.  The sand helps fill the voids giving you a truer and smoother putting surface.  2.  Thatch dilutions-The layer of organic debris, stems, crowns and roots in the upper rootzone – i.e., thatch – can become concentrated and encourage mower scalping and localized dry spots. Thatch should be diluted with sand through practices like verticutting and sand topdressing to maintain good turf quality.  3.  Improved Turf Recovery – Occasional turf thinning can occur on putting greens. Sand helps cushion leaf tips and crowns and reduces algae. 3.  Improved Turf Recovery- Occasionally turf thinning can occur on putting greens.  Sand help cushion leaf tips and crowns and helps reduce algae.  4.  Increase Firmness-   Turf produces organic matter in the upper rootzone that creates soft, spongy playing conditions. Regular sand topdressing, along with core aeration, improves surface firmness and resiliency.  5.  Improved Rootzone- Sand drains well and resists soil compaction. The accumulation of sand from multiple topdressings over many years can improve soil physical properties.  We apply a small amount of sand.  At times you don't even know we have done it.