Topdressing Before Coring Cancel The title field is required!

1. Robert Dreesen

   

   0 posts
   
   6/5/2013 8:06 AM

   We have thought about topdressing before coring our greens to avoid driving our topdresser on the soft greens after punching our greens. To me, it seems as if a lot of the sand will be wasted when cleaning up the plugs. I have also thought of coring, cleaning up, then rolling to firm the greens up, then topdressing. I have always cored then topdressed in the past. Has anyone topdressed first and cored second? Thoughts? Thanks.

   
   
   
   
2. James Smith

   

   113 posts
   
   6/5/2013 8:06 AM

   I use to topdress first and did it for a while but that was when I had a larger crew and we washed the sand into the holes trying to keep equipment off the greens to limit the number of tire tracks on the greens. I think I would lose about 15%-20% of the topdressed sand when pushing the plugs off the greens.
   
   My key was we were using the cores and sand we removed to fill in low areas in the fairways so the sand that we lost was still used on the course which made it acceptable to lose the small percentage.

   
   
   
   
3. Andy Jorgensen

   

   1 posts
   
   6/5/2013 9:06 AM

   We topdress first, and have found that very little sand is picked up. Our process is:
   
   1. Verticut and mow
   2. Topdress heavy
   3. Aerate using Toro Pro Core 648's or Soil Reliever, with Turf Pride Core Collector attachment
   4. Brush/Roll using Salsco rollers with brushes attached
   
   No machine with tires go on the green after plugs are pulled. We have been very successful with this method and the greens are just as smooth within 7 days after, as they were before.

   
   
   
   
4. Ashton Alan W

   
   6/5/2013 9:06 AM

   We tried it Monday & Tuesday for the first time... same equipment as Andy... We adjusted for about 5% loss of sand and it was right there. Love doing it this way!

   
   
   
   
5. Keith Pegg

   

   0 posts
   
   6/5/2013 4:06 PM

   I have done it for years, top-dress, core, drag, clean-up, the greens are almost as good as the day before. This mid may I just did my second round on the greens we did 1/2 on Tuesday and 1/2 on Thursday and by sat they were perfect. MWF was normal maintenance. After a few days I top-dress one more time because some holes seem to always open up. I am using 3/8" tines and plan for 4 times this year. Plus 20 light topdressing verticut as needed and spike a little as required.
   
   Keith
   Zama Japan

   
   
   
   
6. Don Cotton

   

   0 posts
   
   6/5/2013 5:06 PM

   Videos of this practice in the photo gallery on www.turfprideusa.com

   
   
   
   
7. John Borcher

   

   0 posts
   
   6/6/2013 7:06 PM

   Does anyone topdress before coring and use a Cushman core harvester to collect cores? Wondering how much sand it would pick up.

   
   
   
   
8. Curtis Nickerson

   

   0 posts
   
   6/8/2013 5:06 AM

   We follow nearly the same procedure as Andy with the exception of the core collector, we use our old walk mowers with core hogs on the front. Then we come around and clean up the cores from the collars with a core harvester. We pick up some sand but not enough to change the process, we just go a little heavier like other have said.