Grass Clippings
Arrival of casting worms
September has shifted the weather into more autumnal-feeling mornings. Two annoyances that visit us have arrived this week – leaf fall and casting worms. In nature, these two are linked in the cycle of death and renewal, with the worms as part of the composting cycle.
A golf course is an environment that doesn’t welcome casting worms with open arms. There are 27 species of worms that live in the UK, eight of these create casts and of these eight there are only four that commonly cause problems with casts on turf.
In general, earthworms have an important role in helping to aerate soils, reduce compaction, improve water penetration and infiltration rates, processing organic matter and reducing thatch. On a sports surface, these activities are usually replicated by machinery and programmes initiated by the groundsman or greenkeeper and so the common worm is surplus to requirement.
The cast it produces is frowned upon for its ability to smear and create a seed bed for weed seeds. Casting mounds, even if dispersed may dull even the sharpest mowers. The sandy material passing through the cylinder mowers acts like grinding paste on the units but with the reverse affect.
Generations ago, some very toxic chemicals, mercury and arsenic-based compounds were employed to eradicate the humble worm from the fairways of Scotland to the croquet lawns of Hastings. Being exposed to these solutions probably didn’t do the grounds crew of the time much good either. The last effective product was banned from sale several years ago and so we now have to rely on cultural activities to remove the casting material from the surfaces.
The industry has been quite inventive in this short time by creating oversized tractor mounted rotating brushes that help to sweep and disperse the material. Although useful in relatively dry conditions, the last thing you would wish to do in wet weather is trundle around the fairways with a large heavy tractor smearing worm casts as you go.
Unfortunately, the earthworm seems to have had the last laugh and is now our companion on the course for years to come. Unless we can train seagulls to line up along the width of a fairways and walk tee to greens hoovering them up?
Nesting Neighbours
While on the point of foul deeds, there have been sightings of predators on the golf course over the last few years, with the occasional visit from a common buzzard. There is evidence of a nesting pair in the vicinity of Richmond Park, and they have had a chick this summer (which can be viewed on YouTube). It’s likely that the Club is part of the territory, and an early morning round is good for the constitution.
The other predators now common in the park are kestrels and sparrow hawks so it’s likely that these visitors maybe spotted on occasion. One resident predator, who is often heard if not always seen, is a nesting pair of small ear owls who do live on the course.
Since the Club has endorsed the idea of leaving all or part of the stem of dead trees, these high-rise tenements have become home to an increasing number of bird and insect life. The daily incidence of spotting a green woodpecker has increased over the last several as well as the occasional greater spotted woodpecker.
Changes at RHS Wisley
Anyone who as travelled down the A3 recently has probably sighed with frustration at being held up in traffic since the work began to upgrade the junction 10 interchange with the M25. For RHS Wisley its far more concerning as the daily revenues have been hit since the excavators moved in. Wisley Show numbers in September were pegged at 6,000 a day, down from 10,000-11,000 a day before the roadworks started, which was in November 2022.
Wisley also stayed open later until 6.30pm to allow visitors to avoid the worst queues on and off the M25 from the A3 at rush hour. In 2022, the winter Glow Lights event attracted 1.5 million people to the venue, but fears that visitors will stay away are a concern to the RHS, who are halfway through a capital building project to upgrade the visitor experience of visiting the historic gardens.
Survival of Newton’s Apple Tree
There are accounts of many famous trees around the UK that have a place in history, probably one of the most notable has to be the apple tree that inspired Sir Isaac Newton’s theory of gravity, which still stands in the National Trust’s Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire. Ten saplings propagated from the apple tree are being auctioned off to raise money for the future care of Sir Isaac’s birthplace. More than 50 bids have been received so far with the highest bid reaching £2,600.
The auction will be run via the Blue Diamond website and will be open until 29 September 2023. The 10 highest individual bidders will become custodians responsible for supporting the future survival of the Newton tree. The auction will be live from 4th September until 8pm 29th September, via bluediamond.gg/newtons-apple-tree The reserve for each tree is set at £500.