Intended Destruction

Maintaining a pure rough stand of Perennial ryegrass has been a goal (or dream) since Aldarra was built.  Numerous strategies have been implemented over the years.  The entire rough on #10 was treated with Round-up to eliminate all species of turf and re-seeded to ryegrass

That project was a success and has been copied in smaller areas through out the years.  We have sod cut out non-intended species (annual ryegrass, bentgrass, etc.) and replaced with ryegrass to improve the aesthetics and playability. 

The different stands of turf between the rough and fairway surfaces, presents the 'look' we want to achieve, highlighting the lines and contours of the golf course.

The backbone of this plan is the use of Prograss, a selective herbicide, that injures and eliminates Poa annua (annual bluegrass)  in a stand of ryegrass. A 'stand' of grass is defined as : a group of plants growing together in the same area.

Prograss application are made in the Fall, starting in late September with an additional application 24 - 30 days later.  A third application, if possible, is made in late February.  In a perfect world this application is made before the last hard frost of the Spring.  Over night lows below freezing following the last application has shown better results in annual bluegrass decline.  


This year has seen great results with the two Fall applications and i believe a lot of that is perfect timing and luck.  Three days after our first application (October 3rd) a heavy frost resulted in our first frost delay of the year.  I consider a heavy frost to be an overnight low below 30 degrees. The active ingredient of Prograss works by deteriorating the cell wall of Poa annua.  By breaking down the cell wall, the Poa annua plant is more susceptible to injury, due to frost.  

Due to the success of the two Fall applications, we will begin to renovate certain areas through winter as time and weather permits.  I'm often asked about 'when can you seed grass in the Pacific Northwest?'  While the ideal time would be Fall, first, if the opportunity presents itself to get this work done, we will take that it.  The important step in renovating these areas, is removing the dead or decaying organic matter and resulting in proper seed to soil contact needed for germination.    

Remaining areas will be renovated in the Spring, after the third application.   Immediately following the completion of renovation our Spring fertilizer application will go down to help grow/fill these areas in.  A lot of man hours goes into this process, but the end result is worth the effort.