This year has been a funny one but hopefully bowling clubs have managed to get some play in socially distanced.
You should be mowing 2-3x a week throughout August to keep the height of cut around 4-8mm. Scarification should be a monthly task to keep on top of thatch levels- a spongy green will not play well and ball roll will be slow and inconsistent.
Scarify AND verticut at least once a month
Cut in two directions: N-S and E-W aswell as diagonally. This will help improve the speed of the green and will stop any contours developing down the length of the green.
Double cutting may be another option to help increase green speed. This will also help with presentation.
Brushing the playing surface will keep the green clean of debris and will remove any moisture which could lead to disease.
It might be an idea to apply topdressing to restore and maintain surface levels
Mowing.
Mowing too low is an issue we see at a lot of clubs on our travels. Some think this will help the speed of the green but unless properly maintained this can cause more harm than its worth. This can thin the grass out and allow weeds to thrive.
Does your green feel spongy to walk on? You could have a serious thatch issue which can effect not just the health of the green but the ball roll too. This accumulation of thatch can stop valuable water, nutrients, fertilisers and oxygen reaching the grass roots which lets face it is much needed in a dry summer.
Aeration is a key task to ensure good air flow in the soil. The use of our sorrell roller will help without disturbing the playing surface.
Irrigation.
Of course water is the key to your grass surviving. Some bowling clubs are blessed with location being close to rivers etc or having systems in place to save rain water. Lack of water will cause your grass to be stressed but too much water can also do the same.
Scarifying
You should be looking at a programme of scarifying in several directions to remove unwanted thatch layers and dead matter. It can be quite expensive to get contractors in to do this monthly so we have designed a cartridge system where you can insert many cartridges into just one machine to do a wide range of tasks such as scarifying, verticutting and aeration for example.
Find out more information here on the two cartridge machines we manufacture suitable for bowling greens...
C20/C24- 20/24'' Interchangeable Cartridge Machine
We also have the Allett Tournament with fixed groomer (not a cartridge machine however)
For clubs with a smaller budget why not look at the Allett Kensington or Allett Liberty 43 (Battery Power) which have their own range of cartridges equivalent to the PRO range machines
C20/C24- 20/24'' Interchangeable Cartridge Machine
We also have the Allett Tournament with fixed groomer (not a cartridge machine however)
For clubs with a smaller budget why not look at the Allett Kensington or Allett Liberty 43 (Battery Power) which have their own range of cartridges equivalent to the PRO range machines