Seeding Process on #4 New Tees

This Blog was written by our Iowa State University intern Andrew Evans.

With the good weather last week we were able to put down seed on the two new boxes on #4 and #8. Many steps were taken to ensure good growth on these tees. There were many rocks on the tee surface that had to be raked and removed. Next the seed was applied with a rotary spreader. Perennial ryegrass was used on the tees, because ryegrass has very fast growth and does well in this environment.
A bunker rake was used to rake in the seed with the soil and prepare a smoother surface. The tee boxes were then seeded a second time with rye for uniform coverage. A start up fertilizer was then applied to provide the proper nutrients to the soil for seedlings. The tees were then covered with turf covers to help with the growth process and give some protection to the newly seeded surfaces. The covers keep soil temperatures high, moisture in the soil profile and prevent drift of seed from the wind. The tees are hand watered daily for germination of the seed.