Ice Removal

We have added a new ice removal technique to our list of experiments. We rented two glycol heating units that use diesel burners to heat glycol that is circulated through long rubber hoses. The concept is not unlike in-floor heating that depends on the even distribution of the heat from the hoses to provide heat over the expanse of the floor. We used insulated construction tarps between the evergreen tarps and the hoses to help the hoses provide more uniform heat over the surface. Two more layers of insulated tarps over the top of the hoses help contain the heat and reduce heat loss to the air. We checked a number of times during the day and melting was seen almost instantly where the hoses were in direct contact with snow or ice but under the insulated tarps, melting was a very slow process. We let the units run overnight and checked the results in the morning.

The morning results were encouraging as far as amount of ice actually melted. In most spots, the hoses had melted approximately 5-8cm on either side and in some spots, depending on the thickness of the ice, the melt was even more. In most cases the ice was 5-8mm thick but ranged up to 10-20mm and was dense and clear.

To speed the melting process we removed the insulated tarp from under the hoses and tripled the insulation on top of the hoses. We found that ice melt results similar to the ones we saw overnight could be achieved in approximately 3 hours.

Finally, we placed the hoses directly on the turf with three layers of insulation over them and saw the most ice melt. In this spot we had the thickest ice cover, approximately 50-60mm. This thick ice cover was in the middle of the picture where you can see the large chunks easily removed with the shovel.

Until the spring, it is impossible to say if this technique is worth the time and money it requires. There are concerns associated with heating the ground to remove ice and the turf will show us results, either positive or negative, in the spring. This method is very useful to remove ice cover but the effect on the turf is yet unknown.

Questions concerning any of the information here can be directed to the EPGCC Maintenance Department through our Twitter account, our Facebook page, or contact us directly at the shop.

Pond Excavation and Renovation

During the fall AGM the membership voted to proceed with a much needed pond renovation project to three existing ponds. Each pond will be dredged and deepened as well as having its rip rap walls rebuilt. One of the ponds undergoing renovation is the main irrigation pond which will also receive renovations to the wet-well intake for the irrigation pump house. The other two ponds are connected to the main irrigation pond and serve as reservoirs for the irrigation system.

Work on the renovations started in the early fall with the excavation of the existing wet-well and intake at the pump house. As you can see in these pictures, the wet-well extends almost twenty feet below the surface of the ground and to expose the bottom of it the contractors removed a significant amount of material. As the wet-well was exposed it also became apparent that wooden pilings were used in the construction of the pump house. The warm temperatures combined with the infiltration of ground water created some significant delays as the contractors waited for the ground to freeze before undertaking the bulk of the digging.

Warm temperatures continue to be a problem in the excavation of the ponds as well. Without the cold temperatures to freeze the ground as they excavate, the contractors focus their time on other parts of the project. The river pumps are both on order and should arrive in the next few weeks. One will be installed when it arrives which will give us access to water to fill the ponds as the project is completed. Also, the renovation of the wet-well and the installation of the new intake is complete until the rest of the pond renovation is completed.

With colder temperatures this week, pond excavation work is in full swing. Stay tuned for updates and pictures. Regular updates and pictures are often posted on our Twitter account as well as our Facebook page. Any questions or comments may be directed to the Maintenance Department.

Ice Cover

The weather before the Christmas season can sometimes be a cause for concern among turf managers. If we get a cool fall and temperatures gradually dip to below freezing and stay there, the grass generally has ample opportunity to acclimate itself and harden off. The fall in Edmonton was a good fall for hardening off and we did get a decent snow cover but at the end of November and through December, the mild temperatures caused most of this snow cover to melt. Because the ground was already frozen, much of this melt water must run off instead of draining through the soil profile. As a result, some of the melt water sits in low spots or remains in areas that do not have sufficient surface drainage. When the temperatures finally did fall into the -10C to -20C range, this left-over water froze on the surface and in the case of some of the green surfaces, created ice cover or ice encasement.

The Petroleum Club has two varieties of grass on the putting surfaces; Poa annua and bentgrass. Of these, Poa annua is much more susceptible to ice damage. In some university studies bentgrass has been shown to survive up to 120 days of continuous ice cover. Poa annua is considerably less suffering injury after as little as 60 days and severe loss in 75 days (Beard, J.B. 1964. Effects of ice, snow and water covers on Kentucky bluegrass, annual bluegrass and creeping bentgrass. Crop Science 4: 638-640). Most commonly, this damage is due to the buildup of toxic gases (CO2) and the development of an anaerobic environment beneath the ice. At the time of this blog we are experiencing ice cover on both types of grass on our putting surfaces. The constant mild temperatures and freezing rain are both contributing to the ice cover we can see. The potential exists that the ice cover on the Poa annua greens may cause significant damage by the time the ice cover melts in the warmer spring temperatures.

Because of the risk of damage, we have experimented with a few ice removal techniques and will see the results in the spring. We have tried a shallow aeration to shatter the ice cover which resulted in a high number of small holes in the cover but did not appear to shatter the ice. We also attempted to use a small scale tent to melt the layer of ice and remove the water but this method required an extended amount of time to heat the tent so the temperature at the ice was high enough to melt it. There are no foolproof ice removal methods and what works in some situations rarely works in others depending on location and topography of the green among other factors. It is therefore important to continuously monitor our greens through the winter as well as ensure that we maintain a healthy nursery to replace turf if we do experience loss in the spring.

Winter conditions are constantly changing from one year to the next and spring course conditions vary accordingly. Ideally, we hope to have a healthy, hardy grass plant, covered and protected by snow and temperatures that remain consistent and relatively cold to avoid and winter melting events. Alberta winters are at best unpredictable and provide us with a near infinite number of reasons we must continuously monitor course conditions through the off-season.

As always, any questions can be directed to the Maintenance Department at the Petroleum Club.