Now that winter is in full swing the maintenance staff will begin some of our routine winter maintenance tasks. These projects range from removing alligator weed from the lakes to adding drainage in habitual wet spots. First up this winter will be spraying glyphosate (Roundup) in the roughs. Since bermudagrass goes dormant during the winter in East Texas there is no risk of taking up glyphosate. This makes it selective for only the weeds on the golf course that are green and growing. It is a relatively cheap and very effective way to control weeds in the winter. It also adds another herbicide chemistry to the products we already use, which helps reduce the risk of chemical resistance. A low rate of pre-emergent herbicide will be added to keep any weeds from germinating between our glyphosate application and our Spring pre-emerge application. The process usually starts at the beginning of the year and will last anywhere from 4 to 7 weeks depending on weather.
