One factor key to the health and survivability of a golf green is the root system. Shallow roots equates to a weak plant system that is less able to withstand extremes of heat and/or drought. We recently pulled core samples on some of our greens to see where we stood. We were pleased. I'll show some samples from three different greens here just to show you some variety, but what we found is that all of the greens had root depths of at least 4" to 4.5", and some as deep as 6" to 8". And not only were they relatively deep, but the were also nice, white, healthy looking roots.
(Above) Kevin is holding this sample from #7. The root system is what is holding this core together. You can see at the bottom of the core a small piece that appears to be hanging by a thread. That is a small section of root. If we could brush away the sand and soil from this core we would see a thick mass of bentgrass roots.
Why is this significant? Deeper roots enable the plant to survive heat and drought more readily by having more resources for obtaining moisture and nutrient. If the roots were only an inch long, for example, they would have to obtain all of their moisture and nutrient from that top one inch of the green, which would mean frequent watering and much higher risk of survival.
It's actually pretty amazing when you consider that a plant that we are mowing to 3/16" of an inch in height is putting roots down 4" or more into the soil.
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| This core was taken from the back section of #9 green |
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| The above core is from the front section of #9 green .... the area that was hit quite hard by last summer's heat and drought |
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| The above core was from the back of #11 green. This is one of our original "dirt" greens that was constructed using 1960's construction guidelines. |
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| The above core is from #11 green. |
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This core is from #7 green
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