Golf Course Ecology Visits - March 2021
If it’s an up and down hilly type of course you’re after then look no further than Cold Ashby, Northamptonshire. If it’s first-class tree planting then also look no further than Cold Ashby, Northamptonshire.
Firstly, if you’re going to plant trees then look ahead 20 or 30 years because, and not a lot of people seem to know this, they grow. They grow really tall and wide and before you know it, they are being removed as they are now casting shade on the turf below. It appears that James is aware of this and is planting in the correct places, and equally important, the correct species. Please do avoid leylandii, poplar and sycamore.
Another thing to know is that, if you’re going to plant trees then the best time to do it is…. all year round. Ideally though, you’d plant in winter or early spring, however, if you can get water to the newly planted trees then summer is a super time to plant as the tree’s roots and the fungi are active; trees require a mycorrhizal relationship with hyphae (the fungi fingers basically) and will not grow very well without it.
Now we have that out of the way, care to take a guess at how many trees Cold Ashby have planted? Yep, 300. The course will be alive with birds, bats and other flying things in no time and who knows, these trees may reach two or three hundred years old like the ash the course has.
Fab work Cold Ashby!
Author
