putting green covered in sleet
putting green looking good!
In the last 14 days we have had some very drastic weather. Sleet, snow, frost, heavy rains, warm temperatures, humidity, and night time temps in the 60's. Along with all of this we are now on our 3rd rain system that keeps the grass wet for several days in a row.
Rain and cloud cover are the biggest issues. When the grass remains wet and is never allowed to dry, disease outbreaks on the turf can occur. Their are always billions of dormant microscopic spores waiting for the right environment (sustained moisture) to attack the grass. We do apply plant protectants prior to these rain events, but these are only a band aid. Ultimately, we need SUN to dry the turf!
December through March is by far the worst time of the year to get these rain events. The grass is partially dormant and growing very slowly. Any turf damage from disease will not recover until the temperatures warm in March/April/May.
Because of all of this, members will have noticed inconsistent green speeds over the last few weeks. To take stress off the turf, we have mowed/rolled putting greens less. The 10 day weather forecast looks better. As the weather improves we will go back to our normal greens maintenance practices and you will see a much better ball roll!