Bryum argenteum, otherwise known as Silver Moss, has been setting up residence in the greens at Mount Juliet lately. There are many reasons why this bryophyte is most unwelcome at our course, but the chief concern is that once silver moss is allowed to establish, it can come back the next year and flourish, leaving the putting surface uneven and more susceptible to traffic wear.

At first, the higher levels of moss were contained only to two greens here, each being in a shaded area with a water source close by. But within a month, it was beginning to pop up in abundance on other greens as well. So the time to act was at hand.

Silver Moss is a relatively shallow growing plant. If caught early, it is only the size of a small coin in area, so we decided to try and plug it out. Our tool for this job was the Accuform Turf Plugger. Similar to a cup cutter, this tool lets you cut small plugs and store each one up the hallow shaft. The shaft holds approximately 16-18 plugs, so this lets you pick out a considerable number of small patches at once.

The task was assigned on a rotating basis to each employee for five days a week over a three week span. The days I plugged, I was averaging around 120 plugs of moss removed per green. The end result was that moss population was considerably reduced on the greens that we chose to target. So you can see how, if let go a few more weeks, how large the community of silver moss would have grown.

Seeing the results of the project, I began to wonder if the amount of time and manpower needed for manual moss removal was indeed more economical than applying chemical controls. Carfentrazone (Quicksilver®) is a proven herbicide that if applied with the right weather and dosage can control silver moss.

After doing the math, we realized that one man plugging for eight hours a day, five days a week for three weeks only cost (in labor) about a third the price of a single application of Quicksilver (Carfentrazone) to all eighteen greens.

It's amazing how a small bit of patience and some manpower can save so much money. The task is quite easy, and I really like getting to scout the greens. You get an up-close look at what's happening in the turf, and can see directly whats happening below the stand in the sand due to weather and green maintenance.