Background
The Lawn Green Bowling community has tried numerous approaches over the years to successfully and effectively reseed or re-establish their bowling greens. Greens are usually resown every 10 – 12 years.
Problem
Traditionally, reseeding of greens is undertaken in late winter when conditions are more conducive for establishment due to the cooler climate as a “live bulbil” (cotula maniototo) being the primary method used.
The use of live bulbil results in several issues which can quickly lead to reseeding failures and may render the green unusable for that year, causing significant impact on bowling clubs and their members; many of whom are retired and rely on bowling for recreation, social and community purposes.
Solution
Vital Strike was proposed as an alternative to traditional reseeding methods to promote ideal growing conditions. The green for the trial was prepared in the standard manner and marked out a grid pattern to assist in achieving correct application rates.
Vital Strike was mixed in a spray tank to make a 10% dilution and then applied at a rate of 1 litre of dilution per m2. 36 hours following the application, the green was subjected to a significant rain event, completely submerging the green for more than 48 hours.
Once the water subsided, it was evident that the Vital Strike had held the bulbils in place.