Thatch

Firm courts and good ball bounce. That is our goal and one of the ways we achieve this is by removing thatch.Thatch is dead organic matter such as old roots and shoots that create a spongy mat between the surface and the soil. The thatch does not compress and acts as a cushion. It is vital for a well playing lawn tennis court to have minimal thatch.Beneficial microbes in the soil break down much of the organic matter, but they need help. In these pictures we are assisting by mechanically removing thatch.The machine we use to do this is new to Longwood and is manufactured in Austrailia by Graden. The little machine is very efficient - as you can see it pulls out a lot of material and six courts were dethatched in 2 1/2 hours. It has vertical blades that cut grooves in the turf and pull up dead organic material. Following this process the grass is topdressed with soil.

Topdressed courts

Longwood 11 in 1879. Grounds Crew 2009

2009 Grounds Crew Classic

Some pictures from the grounds crew tennis tournament. Thanks to Magnus and Larry for organizing the fun competition. Also thanks for special guest appearances by Kevin, John, Tom, and Tim. Team Magnus won handing Team Larry it's first defeat ever in the annual tournament.

Summer Irrigation of Tennis Courts

This video from the United States Golf Association describes the process of irrigating golf greens. Many of the points made apply to tennis courts. The main difference between the two is that a tennis court needs to be 100% dry for play. This provides safe conditions and protects the court from excessive wear. So when the video states that watering is done multiple times during hot days it does not apply to tennis courts where there is constant play throughout the day and the turfgrass needs to be dry.

During dry weather at Longwood we depend on automatic irrigation and hand watering to keep the courts playing well and healthy. Each day the time the sprinklers will run that night (usually at 10:00pm) are set. The time settings vary based on many factors including weather, amount of play and the health of the grass. The goal is to put down just enough water to keep the plants healthy, but not too much so that the courts are firm and safe. This minimal amount of water is then supplemented each morning by hand watering. Again the goal is to put down a precise amount of water so that the court can open dry and be healthy throughout the day.

The grass is on the edge (a tipping point) each day. A little less water and it will wilt and may die, a little more water and the court will not play as well.

Some Garden Pictures...

Phlox

Heliotrope

These guys smell great.

Mary Ann (Mike's wife) was here at 9:30pm on Wednesday night to turn on the irrigation with Mike and said, "What's the wonderful flower scent? You need to put that on your blog!"

Don't be afraid to go into the garden and take a sniff. (This includes you, Mr. Gallagher)

Echinops

Bumble bees love this perennial.

Some Black and White Pictures from Around the Club