So today is concentrate on the 'Core 14' time, will probably be 2 more posts on this 'Run' as such, one after a series of my 'bodge tests' and one when Lab results return in a few weeks.
So there was a Green..
And the MAD Greenkeeper said yes when I said could I 'borrow' a few Cores
Bagged and Tagged they were brought home
Placed in a Perforated Pipe for some strength and to allow access later without them disintegrating,
Wrapped and readied
Their new Home awaited, a nice moisture holding sand bed to help 'keep' them on days when I was too busy or away.
And there they were, 14 happy, healthy cores.... well for a bit anyway..
And over the course of 10 odd weeks they were nurtured, watered, clipped and diligently fed a select diet for each... I say diligent.. I actually mean force fed and to complete overdose levels.. you see I wanted to see what difference too much of something made, I wasn't sure what was to blame for something you see, don't know if I am any the wiser actually..
So to the 'Core 14'
Just H2O:
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| Week 1 |
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| Week 5 |
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| Week 10 |
So 10 weeks of water not looking so bad,but lets be real here, it would probably have fallen over in real life by now but I juts needed a 'pure' Control to check the others against.
Tate & Lyles Finest:
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| Week 1 |
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| Week 5 |
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| Week 10 |
A bit of 'recovery' if you like, not that you can really call it that though from the look of it BUT it stopped stinking which was a plus. I will 'confess' as to what was added to settle it down later
Gypsum:
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| Week 1 |
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| Week 5 |
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| Week 10 |
A little lean in colour, but hanging in there though, whoever says Gypsum is a Fertiliser has NO idea do they.
Has been another consistent runner though
A Leading Penetrant:
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| Week 1 |
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| Week 5 |
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| Week 10 |
Well I didn't expect that one, fell over the edge a few weeks back, is hanging in there BUT on a knife edge,
will be very interesting to see what is happening inside this one.
Oxygen Booster:
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| Week 1 |
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| Week 5 |
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| Week 10 |
This is looking a little worse for wear after a phenomenal start, was going like mad for a bit then like all 'Boom & Bust's' it just collapsed.
Basic Liquid Feed:
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| Week 1 |
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| Week 5 |
The phone went... I was distracted and before I knew it this had had the Wetter applied by mistake.. so I fed it after BUT looks like the damage was done., will (Bad Science 3) compensate a little 'boost' to make up for the 'leach'
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| Week 10 |
Sulfate of Iron:
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| Week 1 |
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| Week 5 |
Its just Iron I tell ye..
Hhhmmm!.
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| Week 10 |
Good recovery considering it is pretty Fe loaded. I have a problem with the ol Fe you see, it is almost everywhere I see 'problems' but the 'Educated Elite Experts' keep telling me it is there because it is wet... Hmmm reckon that Chapter may need rewriting some time soon.
I also came upon and crossed paths just after Christmas with a Gent in the US called Glen O'Bear who is working on some very interesting stuff to do with Iron Precipitation and Cementation in USGA Greens, seems the 'perfect' medium is having some issues eh... HA! we will come to that one later....
You see Iron Precipitation and its shifts from Fe2 to Fe3 is ALL about the saturation of soil apparently or something to do with the fact Sportsturf just keeps chucking it on.
Well I just love the fact that a FULL science report and data that The USGA is funding research looking into a MAJOR problem with Fe seems to have been completely overlooked by the whole industry, just keep chucking it on people... it will all be fine...... Carry on....
Here's the April release if you missed it, there is a subsequent full science paper, far too heavy for me though ... I like the 'lite' version, says exactly the same thing just for simple people like me
http://gcmdigital.gcsaa.org/i/284784/99
So I have an issue with Fe too, we bounced into each other twice, I am looking forward to the next time, see how much more I can glean and if it makes sense with what I am thinking.
Special Request - Marmite:
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| Week 1 |
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| Week 5 |
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| Week 10 |
I like Marmite, it was a slow start but when she was away it just kept going, so have to work on that one a bit more, the best bit was no 'Boom & Bust' either just kept going healthy strong growth.
Who would believe it eh....
Well Mike would, you see My Mate Mike loves Marmite too, it was him who told me about his trials and I remember back to someone playing a few years back and I scoffed... what a fool I was..
Here is My Mate Mike's Marmite for this Months Application on his Grounds, 8 tubs, 8 Ha... love it, he has even worked out the optimum app rate for his climate and location, mental is Mike.. bloody good mental mind.
20:10:10 Granular:
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| Week 1 |
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| Week 5 |
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| Week 10 |
Well I managed to keep a bit of it alive didn't I, watered like mad but it still scorched.... tsk.. Goodness knows how the ol Footy boys cope with all that N... Must be foliar or slow release then, that's all fine nothing to see here, move along now......
Branded Coated Fertiliser:
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| Week 1 |
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| Week 5 |
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| Week 10 |
Well that went well didn't it.......... there is some grass there honest Guv...........
So from a poor start it carried on pretty well tits up all the way really.. Disappointed in a way, wanted this to be a positive.
Worm Suppresant:
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| Week 1 |
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| Week 5 |
He He He.. love that...
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| Week 10 |
Another fascinating one this, so much promise for something so theoretically 'nasty' the growth was incredible for a bit but then it fell like the others, another 'Boom & Bust' it seems
Curative Wetting Agent:
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| Week 1 |
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| Week 5 |
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| Week 10 |
That's a surprise isn't it, not just a fall over but a spectacular one too, can't wait to poke and prod this one
Will be interesting to see what has made this fail.
I have a problem with Wetters it seems.... I just can not find any credible information as to why we never used to need them yet now we do.... Monthly at that!... yes you will find stuff on why this does that and why this is better than that but no one seems to be in any hurry to tell us why.... WHY?... When did this all change? How the hell did we cope before? What makes this happen? ... Hhmmmm!
I also have a problem with 'thin water'... you see most of these will give you 'thin water' (or head up arse down coating? or is it the other way) .. my problem with 'thin water' is it is just that ... lean.. and lean water don't carry nowt I reckon... so all the waste and nutrient and everything else that water carries is left behind..... and if it is left behind?...... Theory for now anyway.....
Combination A:
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| Week 1 |
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| Week 5 |
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| Week 10 |
So nearly a fail, wish I hadn't of added the N early days, but what a recovery, this was it Week ago below
Combination B:
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| Week 1 |
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Week 5
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Oh dear, looking very sorry for itself after Boost No. 3
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| Week 10 |
Nope that didn't get any better either did it.
That's it, all 14 at the end of June.... wait.. wasn't I going to start doing stuff to them at the end of June?
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| And then there were just 10 |
So this is the spot they have all occupied for the last couple of months now all space is left to the next 10 Core Run which will have to wait for another day.
So the Poking and Prodding and Drying & Weighing & Wetting and... IT BEGINS!
Now we all need to remember that this is probably best described as Rough Science, in fact I feel bad using the Science word on 2 counts..
1: For the Good out there - Its use here demeans the truly clever and educated people out there who make a living with their big words and fancy experiments, computing and charting and DNAing their way to a better place.
For me in this poorly equipped, unplanned madness 'Rough' is apt I don't know any other more suitable word than Science..
2: For the Bad side - I do not know if I want to be remotely associated with an 'Industry' that from the outside seems to prostitute itself to the highest bidder to get funding only to concentrate on proving what the 'Fundee' wants to see, when did 'Discovery' become second place to a 'Business Plan'. I have heard the, conspiracy theories and plenty of rumours of Suppression and Rewriting! That shocks and scares me from the outside looking in.
Oh yes ... when someone starts chirping that they knew all this years ago, its nothing new...... hmmmm kept that bloody quiet didn't you! What was in it for you? We shall see, I am so looking forward to that one.
But in the mean time I will expect the 'Rough' side to work against me in terms of how serious this is taken, you know what... who cares.........
So... Round 1...
14 Cores..............
14 Funnels....................
Let the water movement begin..........................
So I can't afford to do 14 proper perc tests, hell I wouldn't know where to start and to be honest what will they tell me, I just want to know what difference there is between the 14....
So I took 14 Funnels, cut them down to 25mm insert, cut out the turf from the top of each, placed each Funnel and timed the 'passing' of 100mls of water, followed by a second 100mls of water....
Oh I can hear the hissing from here... like I said I just want to see what is different between the 14....
I took great care in setting this up the same at each, used the same 'dibber' to start the hole, each funnel placed the same, exactly measured the water in and ..... lets face it its not hard, watched a clock...
And after 48 hrs here are the results.........
| FUNNEL PERCOLATION TESTS | DATE | 27/06/14-29/06/14 | ||||||||||||
| No | Name | DATE | 1st START | END 100ml | DATE | 1st TIME | 2nd START | END 200ml | 2nd TIME | TOTAL | AVERAGE | WATER @ 48 HR | ML PER HR | EST DURATION |
| 1 | WATER | 27/06/2014 | 11:03:30 PM | 11:30:00 AM | 28/06/2014 | 12:26:30 | 11:49:00 AM | 08:35:00 PM | 8:46:00 | 21:12:30 | 10:36:15 | |||
| 2 | SUGAR | 27/06/2014 | 10:43:00 PM | 10:10:00 PM | 28/06/2014 | 23:27:00 | 10:11:00 PM | 05:25:00 PM | 19:14:00 | 18:41:00 | 21:20:30 | |||
| 3 | GYPSUM | 27/06/2014 | 10:44:00 PM | 08:55:00 AM | 28/06/2014 | 10:11:00 | 10:09:00 AM | 08:42:00 PM | 10:33:00 | 20:44:00 | 10:22:00 | |||
| 4 | PENETRANT WET | 27/06/2014 | 11:04:00 PM | EST 30ml LEFT | 01:45:00 AM | 71.00 | 2.69 | 74.42 | ||||||
| 5 | OXYGEN BOOST | 27/06/2014 | 10:52:30 PM | 11:10:00 AM | 28/06/2014 | 12:17:30 | 11:49:00 AM | 12:56:00 AM | 13:07:00 | 1:24:30 | 12:42:15 | |||
| 6 | LIQUID FEED | 27/06/2014 | 11:01:30 PM | EST 70ml LEFT | 01:45:00 AM | 134.00 | 1.38 | 145.45 | ||||||
| 7 | FERROUS SULFATE | 27/06/2014 | 11:01:00 PM | 03:50:00 PM | 28/06/2014 | 16:49:00 | 03:55:00 PM | 01:30:00 PM | 21:35:00 | 14:24:00 | 19:12:00 | |||
| 8 | MARMITE | 27/06/2014 | 10:52:00 PM | 08:35:00 AM | 28/06/2014 | 9:43:00 | 10:05:00 AM | 05:30:00 PM | 7:25:00 | 17:08:00 | 8:34:00 | |||
| 9 | STRAIGHT 20:10:10 | 27/06/2014 | 10:58:30 PM | EST 65ml LEFT | 01:45:00 AM | 122.00 | 1.63 | 123.08 | ||||||
| 10 | COATED SLOW FERT | 27/06/2014 | 10:59:00 PM | EST 85ml LEFT | 01:45:00 AM | 138.00 | 1.29 | 154.84 | ||||||
| 11 | WORM SUPPRESS | 27/06/2014 | 10:56:30 PM | EST 25ml LEFT | 01:45:00 AM | 52.00 | 3.08 | 64.86 | ||||||
| 12 | CURATIVE WET | 27/06/2014 | 10:56:00 PM | EST 15ml LEFT | 01:45:00 AM | 49.00 | 3.15 | 63.58 | ||||||
| 13 | Mix A | 27/06/2014 | 10:48:00 PM | 05:50:00 AM | 28/06/2014 | 7:02:00 | 10:08:00 AM | 03:35:00 PM | 5:27:00 | 12:29:00 | 6:14:30 | |||
| 14 | Mix B | 27/06/2014 | 10:47:30 PM | EST 5ml LEFT | 01:45:00 AM | 5.00 | 4.06 | 49.23 | ||||||
Now that's interesting isn't it..........
The same cores, all from the same part of the Green, minimal variation at the start with some very interesting variation how water wants to play now......
And who says its all about the Particle Size Analysis ..... Is there some other factors going on?
Of course there is, this ain't nowt new here, common knowledge as such but lets be real once again.... I am overdoing rates, this isn't 'real' so it has little worth and certainly none until comparison of ALL factors is made..
It is a little intriguing though that you can affect physical performance in such a short period by that much just by adding certain things... Hhhmmmm
So that's it for now, will take me all week to sort them for the next lot of tests, will be dispatching a number of them off for some 'PROPER' tests, will PSD a Control, look at a few chems and hopefully get some to Laverstoke Park for a look at numbers..... REAL SCIENCE... but very limited as it costs blooming money you know.....
TTFN
