The above photo shows many new seedlings starting to grown in a properly filled in divot. The mix provided in the carts as well as in the divot buckets on the course contains thousands and thousands of tiny, almost invisible seeds. The bentgrass growing in the picture need the correct level of moisture and temperature in order to germinate and start to grow. Often times we will run the irrigation heads on the golf course tees and fairways at night just to wet the divots that may be growing on the course. Many times we do not need to water besides keeping the divots going with adequate water. The next time you respectfully lay down some divot mix, understand that this step is only half of the process in getting the divot to fill in completely. Again, as mentioned before, if a big solid divot is taken, it is always best to replace a big divot and step it down as opposed to filling in the divot with mix. A thin divot will likely not survive and will dry out too quickly before it starts to grow. Also, the divot mix is only intended for the short cut fairways and tees, not the rough or the intermediate rough.
Mike O'Neill, GCS
