Course Update, 1/11/2016

3 Pond in its Winter State

Winter has finally arrived, and some of the coldest air of the season has invaded our area.  I wanted to take a minute and share some of my observations over the last 4 weeks.

18 green receiving a mow on 12/9/15

Mowing fairways on December 22. Quite shaggy!

Clipping yield from 18 green, 12/9/15

December brought record warmth to our area.  The green and fairway turf was mowed and plant protectants were reapplied in those areas.  The decision to do this is not a easy, cut and dry one to make, but one that was necessary IMO for the long term health of the turf.  Growth regulators were included in the reapplication to minimize growth in case the warm weather continued, which it did for a bit, albeit not the 60's we saw earlier in the month.  As of this morning, all areas are clean of disease.

Topdressing 18 green

1 green after sand was applied

The warm December allowed us to continue adding topdressing to greens to continue to protect the crowns from any cold injury due to exposure.  It also kept the soil from freezing, which was key for any rain events we received over the course of the month.  A great example is over this past weekend, when the course received 1.75" of rain Friday and Saturday.  Thanks in part to the unfrozen soil, open holes from our November deep tine aerification, and a late season wetting agent application that aids in moving water away from the soil surface, all surfaces were dry before the temperatures dropped and any standing water could freeze.  Remembering our ice adventures from a couple of years ago, I was quite happy to see that!   The dangers of ice to Poa annua greens and our experiences are explained here and here to refresh your memory.  

#5 after this past weekend's weather event

No ice, just a dusting of snow on green surfaces

17 Green

With temperatures now forecasted to be below normal, additional snow cover would be highly beneficial to further insulate the crowns of the plants.  Poa annua is resilient, but susceptible to deep cold injury.  While it is "so far, so good" in regards to turf survival over the winter, the situation is one that will be continuously monitored and sampled.

If you have any questions, contact me at ryan@elconacc.com.  Stay warm!

Ryan