# Verticutting 419 & celebration



## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

Tearing up some bermuda today.


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## N LA Hacker (Aug 17, 2018)

That's a cool job. I missed my calling.


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## MrMeaner (Feb 21, 2017)

At what depth do yall verticut? Just about to do my yard.


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## cnet24 (Jul 14, 2017)

Cool. Will you guys top dress after this?


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

MrMeaner said:


> At what depth do yall verticut? Just about to do my yard.


We're running right around a .5" negative setting


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

cnet24 said:


> Cool. Will you guys top dress after this?


Not today. In 3 weeks, we'll aerify and verticut again. We'll topdress after this.


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## gkaneko (Dec 11, 2018)

What will you top dress with?


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

gkaneko said:


> What will you top dress with?


A nice blend of medium / coarse sand


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## MrMeaner (Feb 21, 2017)

viva_oldtrafford said:


> MrMeaner said:
> 
> 
> > At what depth do yall verticut? Just about to do my yard.
> ...


Nice - did my yard yesterday, looks like the verticutters were set to -.25


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## gkaneko (Dec 11, 2018)

viva_oldtrafford said:


> gkaneko said:
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> 
> > What will you top dress with?
> ...


No compost or top soil?


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Compost or topsoil is the very thing you do not want. 
Grass creates its own organic matter. Soil is a material that is easily compacted. What you want is coarse, inert sand. No limestone or for us in Hawaii coral.


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

gkaneko said:


> viva_oldtrafford said:
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> > gkaneko said:
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they would hold too much water and reduce / limit my air filled porosity....I want O2 in the profile...sand is the best growing medium around - certain caveats apply.


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## gkaneko (Dec 11, 2018)

Thanks guys, love the info. what type of sand is good? Mason sand, what else?


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Silica sand if you can afford it. I know it is $350+ a ton from BEI. When leveling a home lawn, 2 tons per 1000 sq ft is usually needed


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## cnet24 (Jul 14, 2017)

@viva_oldtrafford would love to see this thread updated with progress if you can. These are the type of threads I enjoy following.


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

cnet24 said:


> @viva_oldtrafford would love to see this thread updated with progress if you can. These are the type of threads I enjoy following.


I'll see what I can do. I'm off for the next 2 days, then I have a conference on Monday. We just did our tees & par 3 approaches this week. Starting Wednesday we're going to do all of the fairways / approaches. Later this month we'll do it all again (tees) + aerification and topdressing.


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## TN Hawkeye (May 7, 2018)

viva_oldtrafford said:


> cnet24 said:
> 
> 
> > @viva_oldtrafford would love to see this thread updated with progress if you can. These are the type of threads I enjoy following.
> ...


Is the course closed during this process?


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

TN Hawkeye said:


> viva_oldtrafford said:
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> > cnet24 said:
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For the aerification and verticutting later this month it will be. This week we were open. We're a private club, so we have our slower times and if we have to, we just work around play - it's doesn't interrupt too much.


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## BlakeG (Jul 17, 2018)

@viva_oldtrafford is there a difference in verticutting to remove thatch versus verticutting to re-propagate the celebration?

For example, you would run the machine at X depth for thatch removal and thinning turf and run the machine at Y depth for the purpose of re-propagating the turf?


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

BlakeG said:


> @viva_oldtrafford is there a difference in verticutting to remove thatch versus verticutting to re-propagate the celebration?
> 
> For example, you would run the machine at X depth for thatch removal and thinning turf and run the machine at Y depth for the purpose of re-propagating the turf?


It's all the same. If you're going to run a verticutter, you're going to have a mess, regardless of how its configured. Consequently, you may as well get the maximum benefit out of the practice.

I think I've verticut for sprigs 1 time. The other 30-40 have been for plant health. Sprigs from an actual verticut are no different than one from a small sprig harvest... the difference is in the mess you leave behind.


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## BlakeG (Jul 17, 2018)

Excellent. Thank you sir!


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

@viva_oldtrafford would you recommend verticutting then sanding and aerate or verticutting then aerate followed by sand? Also I used masonry sand on one section of the lawn was this approach ok or should I have used "coarse, inert sand"? Whats the difference please...


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

Verticut, vac (remove material if you choose to
Do So), aerify, topdress. I sometimes mow after the vac and ahead of the aerification.

I don't know the specs on masonry sand, and I've never heard of inert sand (is it just sand, no om?), but i always get a blend that is medium/ coarse dominant - it will have some very coarse, fine, very fine (aka silt) but not in large portions (think less than 10% by weight for each of those 3 categories).

The idea is to keep your profile uniform. There's a lot to consider when picking a sand, and what works for me, might not be best for you. Whichever sand you do choose to go with, try and keep using the same sand for each project going forward. Uniformity is the name of the game.


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

viva_oldtrafford said:


> Verticut, vac (remove material if you choose to
> Do So), aerify, topdress. I sometimes mow after the vac and ahead of the aerification.
> 
> I don't know the specs on masonry sand, and I've never heard of inert sand (is it just sand, no om?), but i always get a blend that is medium/ coarse dominant - it will have some very coarse, fine, very fine (aka silt) but not in large portions (think less than 10% by weight for each of those 3 categories).
> ...


Got it and much appreciated sir...


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## gkaneko (Dec 11, 2018)

Greendoc said:


> Silica sand if you can afford it. I know it is $350+ a ton from BEI. When leveling a home lawn, 2 tons per 1000 sq ft is usually needed


Wow, that is expensive. Does BEI deliver?

What is man sand? I see Yamashiro has coral sand and man sand. They are super close to my house so I could truck it.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Man sand is screened basalt. Get that if you can 
No coral. That damages the soil


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## UFG8RMIKE (Apr 21, 2019)

Everyone here seems to go with masonry sand, not sure what it's like in other states but here in Florida it's as fine as powdered sugar. It's wayyy to fine. I've had a hell of a time finding medium or coarse grain silica sand. All they have is DOT sand, with pebbles in it, and fine masonry sand which will compact and become hydrophobic.

I've actually found what I need from the source but the minimum order is a truckload, 20 tons

.


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## jimbeckel (May 27, 2018)

viva_oldtrafford said:


> Tearing up some bermuda today.


Do the golfers get annoyed when the course maintenance is done like that or do they just take it in stride?


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

jimbeckel said:


> viva_oldtrafford said:
> 
> 
> > Tearing up some bermuda today.
> ...


The verticutting is relatively quick and painless, so they tend to get along. We also try and do it early im the morning so we're not in their way.

Preferred lies in the fairways 100% time anyways, so there's no issue there, either.


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## JRS 9572 (May 28, 2018)

Celebration "You got to make it look really bad before it looks really good." He's not kidding either.

https://youtu.be/8SobZho1L94


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## gkaneko (Dec 11, 2018)

Greendoc said:


> Man sand is screened basalt. Get that if you can
> No coral. That damages the soil


Awesome. It's close so I can truck myself


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