Ealing Golf Course Agronomy Department: These roots need pruning!!!

Trees on a golf course bring many qualities. Lovely canopies, gorgeous smells and will give a golf course character and strategy. One other thing that they bring however (and it's not a good thing) are their roots! Unfortunately tree roots and a golf course don't go hand in hand. They block drains, smash pipes and damage machinery. One interesting fact is the root system of a tree is 2.8 times the size of its canopy. So the next time you approach a green, have a look at the surrounding trees. You will be surprised how many roots are affecting that green.

At Ealing we are very proactive in root pruning as our identity is a parkland golf course. Part of our maintenance strategy is cutting back the roots away from playing areas and over the years many greens such as the 1st, 6th and 12th have had their roots pruned as their performance was suffering. This week we pruned roots to the back of the 5th green. Over the past few seasons we have noticed the back section of that green has been suffering and we feel one of the major reasons is the row of Oaks directly behind it. Armed with our new trencher, a channel was dug 1.2metres in to the earth 110mm wide. The roots in the trench were cut and then we physically cut them back further. The spoil was then backfilled, compacted and seeded on top.

The whole process took around a day to complete and disturbance minimal. The long term benefits however hopefully will be plain to see. A good quality green, running smooth and fast!