Bowling Green Fertiliser Application 
Fertiliser application will be minimal for most bowling greens if a firm surface is to be produced with the desirable grasses of red fescue and browntop bents. Do not worry about creating a lush green coloured sward as this will result in a slow game and an increase in undesirable annual meadow which will further increase thatch depth and reduce the quality of the playing surface. Turfgrasses will naturally be less green during drier summer periods, so be careful not to try and force unnecessary growth which will also increase the potential for disease attack.
Whilst it might be visually pleasing to play on a deep green coloured surface, during the summer period a lighter green colour will provide a more natural look for that time of year. Forcing the plant to be greener will typically involve additional resource inputs, especially fertiliser, water, mowing, scarification and fungicide applications. An improved colour appearance will please many bowlers, however, at what additional cost? This question is often ignored. One of the commonest complaints from bowlers on flat greens is the lack of speed or draw from their delivery. Clubs should review and reflect on their maintenance programme: Less material input in particular can often (but not always) provide more quality on a bowling green; so less can sometimes be more.
A range of fertilisers might be considered, but a programme based, but not dependent, on organic content with inorganic sulphate of ammonia can help create the conditions more suited to red fescue and browntop bent. The use of controlled release and liquid or foliar feeds can also be considered as component parts of a fertiliser programme. Before deciding on a programme ensure nutrient release rates and their effect on soil pH, as well as potential impact on disease and weed incidence and grass composition are considered. The inclusion of sulphate of iron with several of the applications, especially in spring and late summer, can help to suppress moss growth, provide some degree of resilience to potential disease attack and also produce a deeper green colour to the sward without contributing to lush growth.
A typical fertiliser (mini-granular) programme for the majority of bowling greens might be based along the following lines:
• Mid-March ‘false spring’: 1-2 g/N/m2 (Inorganic only).
• Mid-April: 4 g/N/m2 (Inorganic and Organic).
• Mid-June: 3 g/N/m2 (Inorganic and Organic), or a liquid feed.
• Mid-End August: 3 g/N/m2 (Inorganic only).
This would give an annual Nitrogen input of 11-12g/m2, which would sit towards the lower end of recommendations for many bowling greens. For soil rootzones this is 8-20 g/N/m2, whilst for sand-dominated rootzones it is 24-30 g/N/m2. (Lawson, D.M (1996) ‘Fertilisers for Turf’, STRI, p.34).
The application of in-season rates of nitrogen after the end of August or early September will be a recipe for encouraging disease, especially Fusarium (Microdochium) patch disease, so great care needs to be taken if any additional nitrogen feed is given after this time. Even with a changing climate and extended growing season, artificially encouraging growth would not be desirable, especially as light levels (which is essential for photosynthesis to take place) continue to reduce as normal over the autumn and winter period.
The use of one or more liquid feeds, instead of using a mini-granular feed, during the playing season is often considered. This is primarily to reduce the potential of the fertiliser not being adequately watered into the green and also to reduce the potential impact some mini-granular fertilisers might have in irritating the skin on some players hands.
The phosphorus and potassium inputs would depend upon soil analysis and also the current condition of the green. If phosphorus is required, then typically a spring or late summer application when seed germination following overseeding has been carried out or when root development is more likely than during the mid-summer period when root growth is typically diminished when compared with leaf growth during this period.