ClipVol

Measuring the growth rate by clipping volume. Really.

My books about greenkeeping, turfgrass science, clipping volume, and MLSN.

I recorded a screencast of my seminar about the Turf GvX that I gave at Harrogate in January. You can watch it here. For those wanting spreadsheets that show the calculation, you can get those at PACE Turf’s GvX reference page.

Predicting, checking, and adjusting growth rate with clipping volume and growth potential I’ve discussed clipping volume and growth potential at events across Canada over the past eight years. For a review of that material, see:

If you want to have control of green speed, you need to have the growth rate under control. When fewer clippings are being removed from the greens at each mow, the green speed measured by the stimpmeter will be faster.

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Grass clippings, fresh, weigh from 300 to 350 g per liter in a clipping volume bucket. Sand, dry, weighs about 1.6 kg per liter in a clipping volume bucket.

One of the reasons I didn’t pay attention to clipping volume numbers in my youth was my failure to realize that the volume of clippings is related to the dry weight of clippings.

We’ve been working on this one for a long time. We’ve had the turfgrass speedometer (or speedo), which can also be called the growth ratio. Both of those names have some problems.

One of the many ways to learn is through conversations with industry veterans. Their wisdom about how turf is managed now, and how it was managed in the past, can be invaluable.