This week we had a tree company come in to trim some of our larger ficus trees. These two ficus trees are in close proximity to the left side of the 4th fairway. The great root mass of these two trees span into the fairway, stealing essential nutrients and water from the turf. Also, the large canopies of these trees shade out this area of the fairway, preventing the turf from receiving adequate sunlight and air movement.
The picture above shows a hole that was created in the center of the ficus tree. By doing this, the shapes of these specimen trees are not changed, and also allow for more sunlight and air movement to pass through the tree. Some of the lower hanging limbs were also removed, improving the shape of the tree by lifting the base of the canopy.
The affected section of the fairway is now staked off to prevent further damage from cart traffic. We also needle tined the fairway and will soon sand topdress and fertilize with organic fertilizer to promote regrowth.
