What a difference a Month makes

It’s only been 30 days since we were talking about saturated ground and not being able to travel on it.

Now, we’ve seen that they were watering Cheltenham Race Course on the Thursday of the Festival, and we haven't had any significant rainfall during the whole of March!

But, and there's always a but. It’s too soon to spray weeds with selective herbicide, as its realitvely cool in the evenings and all weeds haven't germinated, so spraying too early is bad value for money.

The moss we have talked about for a few weeks is definitely a menace and capable of smothering grass growth in our swards. It is, however, time to spray the moss with soluble iron @ 25 kg /ha, or use a granular like Greentec Mosskiller Pro from Headland Amenity @ 40 gms per square metre. This has a 4:0:4 analysis plus 9% Fe.

A soluble fertiliser can also be added to the iron product just to give the grasses an early boost. A penetrant like SAS 90 from Intracrop is also worth including in the tank.

It should also be noted that leatherjacket spraying is taking place with large populations coming to the surface - showing us that predictions of an infestation was correct and not scaremongering. Cyren is the pesticide of choice @ 1.5 litres per ha and is well worth adding to tank mixes (don’t forget to check the label), and use with the penetrant.

Where moss is a problem on artificial surfaces, car parks or hard surfaces, making walking treacherous, then MMC Pro is giving excellent results.

There is no point applying moss products on turf areas without scarifying afterwards (maybe around ten days would be advisable). Depending on how aggressive this operation is, and the degree the moss has blotted out the grass, re-seeding may need to take place. Grass is resilient and if patience is a virtue, then it may re-establish itself, in perfect growing conditions.

In a golf course situation, where group planted areas or shrubs exist, it’s time to apply a residual herbicide with a mix of glyphosate. This will give you weed control for maybe 6 months, with deep rooted weeds may require a spray in June or July i.e. Nettle, dock, bramble etc.

All Complete Weed Control franchisees can help you with all the above operations, and have all achieved the Amenity Assured Standard. Plus you get 'local help from a national company', as you are never more than a short journey away from any of our offices. Each of our franchisees can offer advice, carry out a soil-sample, or quote for any job.