5 Steps to Creating Pollinator-Friendly Habitat on Your Golf Course

— Written By
en Español / em Português
Español

El inglés es el idioma de control de esta página. En la medida en que haya algún conflicto entre la traducción al inglés y la traducción, el inglés prevalece.

Al hacer clic en el enlace de traducción se activa un servicio de traducción gratuito para convertir la página al español. Al igual que con cualquier traducción por Internet, la conversión no es sensible al contexto y puede que no traduzca el texto en su significado original. NC State Extension no garantiza la exactitud del texto traducido. Por favor, tenga en cuenta que algunas aplicaciones y/o servicios pueden no funcionar como se espera cuando se traducen.


Português

Inglês é o idioma de controle desta página. Na medida que haja algum conflito entre o texto original em Inglês e a tradução, o Inglês prevalece.

Ao clicar no link de tradução, um serviço gratuito de tradução será ativado para converter a página para o Português. Como em qualquer tradução pela internet, a conversão não é sensivel ao contexto e pode não ocorrer a tradução para o significado orginal. O serviço de Extensão da Carolina do Norte (NC State Extension) não garante a exatidão do texto traduzido. Por favor, observe que algumas funções ou serviços podem não funcionar como esperado após a tradução.


English

English is the controlling language of this page. To the extent there is any conflict between the English text and the translation, English controls.

Clicking on the translation link activates a free translation service to convert the page to Spanish. As with any Internet translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not translate the text to its original meaning. NC State Extension does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. Please note that some applications and/or services may not function as expected when translated.

Collapse ▲

Dr. Danesha Seth Carley and Dr. Terri Billeisen | 1/13/2019 | Turfgrass Council of North Carolina

Available as Podcast: PLAY IN NEW WINDOW | DOWNLOAD

Insects are the most common and abundant pollinators in the world. Although bees may be the most well-known insect pollinators, there are many other insect species, including butterflies, moths, wasps, flies and beetles, which also play an important role in plant pollination. Due to increased interest in pollinator and wildlife communities in turfgrass environments, we are conducting a study examining how the implementation of pollinator-friendly habitat on established golf courses impact pollinator populations. In the spring and summer of 2018, we set out across the state, sampling for pollinators in managed turfgrass environments to determine which insects were already present prior to establishing refuge areas the following season. This fall we returned to these sites to plant pollinator-friendly seed mixes. After some trial and error, we have identified a few key things to know prior to establishing pollinator habitat. Our five summarized key steps to creating pollinator-friendly habitat on your golf course are as follows:Image of a pollinator-friendly habitat

  1. Identify suitable location and prep the site
  • Select a site on your golf course that will be visible to members but is out of the way of traffic or errant golf balls. For our research, we selected areas lining cart paths and natural rough areas, especially around tees and along tree lines. If you have a lot of trees on your course, be sure to choose a site that gets at least 6–8 hours of dire5 S ct sunlight a day.
    • Eliminate plant competition by removing shrubs, small trees, and unwanted plants either by hand cultivation or selective herbicide application. If a controlled spring burn is an option for your site, it can help to eliminate brush cover and undesirable weeds.
    • After all weed roots are dead, switch to shallow cultivations timed to eliminate freshly germinated weed seedlings – generally two weeks after the first cultivation. If you are planting your large site to pollinator-friendly seeds in the fall, use a harrow or drag to produce a smooth, clodfree seed bed. If your soil is subject to erosion, consider deferring planting until spring and first plant a winter cover crop in the previous fall.
    • If necessary, a rototiller can be used to break up the ground and soften the soil. It is important to “till” only as deep as necessary to remove old roots. Four to six inches deep should do the trick. Drag the area to break up any large clumps. After a final dragging, the soil will be ready to plant.

Listen to the podcast for the four additional steps to creating a pollinator-friendly habitat on your golf course.