Grass Court Lines

An interview with Longwood's Deputy Groundsman, Tim Burns, on grass court lines.

Ike and Charles Chambers

We had a poll last week on the age of the large roller. We think it is from the 1880-1890's. It is still in use today. Last week all the courts (except the terrace - we can't get the roller up there) were rolled with the 120 year old hunk of iron. It is heavier than the tractor that pulls it. Above is from the early 1930's - Longwood's first head groundsman, Ike Chambers and his son, Longwood's second head groundsman, Charles Chambers. The roller still looks the same!

Flowering Grass

The majority of the turf on the the grass courts at LCC is a species called Poa annua or annual bluegrass. One of the distinguishing features of Poa annua is that in our region it flowers every May. It is so adaptable that no matter how low the grass is cut, it still produces a flower you can see. There is an advantage to this because over the years our plants have produced countless amounts of seed that are in our soil. This supply is called the seed bank. In 2007 this seed bank supplied all that was necessary to grow our courts back after the winter damage. When encouraged the proper way, this seed also fills in worn areas on the courts when play slows down in the fall. The May flowering also has it's disadvatages.

Producing seed (by flowering)is the singlest greatest user of energy in the plant. Using this energy reduces stored amounts that could be used in the stressful summer. So if we could inhibit flowering in May, the plant would be healthier in the summer and be able to wear and recuperate better and withstand pest pressure with more vigor.

This spring we attempted to limit the grass plant flowering by spraying a growth regulator onto the grass. There are many products on the market, some with different modes of action, some harsher on the grass and all have different degrees of effectiveness. The product we picked (Proxy) has very little phytotoxicity to Poa annua and has proved to control about 60-70% of seedhead production. Our results are in. The product had no detrimental afftects on the grass and did stop much of the seedhead production (flowering). We used the area by the bangboard as a control and as you can see in the pictures, the Proxy worked wonderfully. If you are at the club in May, look at the area around the bangboard and it will look yellow and fuzzy. These are the seedheads. Hopefully we will have healthier plants this summer by controlling the spring flowering, but we never know what is in store for us!

Topdressing

Topdressing the grass courts with the same exact soil as is underneath the grass is essential for healthy turf that plays firm. All the courts have been topdressed at least five times since October (twice this spring) with soil that has been saved and composted on site. For an explanation of topdressing click on the title "Topdressing" above.