It is another hot day today, followed by a couple more this weekend. As of now, we will be limiting our maintenance practices on the greens to ensure they make it through these 90 degree days. Green speeds may be slower due to the humidity and the thickness of the turf leaf blade. We will most likely be syringing the plants in the afternoons to cool them off. With the air temperature in the 90's, the temperature of the turf canopy will be between 100 to 115 degrees.
I wanted to update you on the status of the fairways. We have sliced all of the fairways to provide some additional air to the root zone. We are applying small amounts of nutrients and fungicide on a weekly basis to nurture the plants through the difficult weather. We continue to spin the irrigation heads throughout the day to cool the plants off. Although the fairways have seen a slight improvement, significant recovery will not occur until we can string together 4-6 days of consistent cooler night-time temperatures in the low 60's.
The overseeding process has begun. The seed should take about 10- 14 days to germinate with cooperative weather. We will be looking at a couple different varieties of bentgrass to see if one stands out significantly. The newer varieties of bentgrass are much more aggressive than their predecessors and better suited to compete with the poa.
In speaking with other superintendents who are experiencing similar problems with fairways, all are pretty excited about introducing more bentgrass. The question becomes: what is the best way to introduce the new seed into the existing poa? There are a few different methods being tried, so in a few weeks, we should know which systems were most successful.
In an effort to limit traffic on the new plants, I have put out more green and white stakes than normal. Please avoid driving through these areas, as the new seedlings will be fragile. Irrigation heads will be run for 2-4 minutes at various times throughout the day to keep the seed and new turf plants moist. Thanks for your cooperation.
I wanted to update you on the status of the fairways. We have sliced all of the fairways to provide some additional air to the root zone. We are applying small amounts of nutrients and fungicide on a weekly basis to nurture the plants through the difficult weather. We continue to spin the irrigation heads throughout the day to cool the plants off. Although the fairways have seen a slight improvement, significant recovery will not occur until we can string together 4-6 days of consistent cooler night-time temperatures in the low 60's.
The overseeding process has begun. The seed should take about 10- 14 days to germinate with cooperative weather. We will be looking at a couple different varieties of bentgrass to see if one stands out significantly. The newer varieties of bentgrass are much more aggressive than their predecessors and better suited to compete with the poa.
In speaking with other superintendents who are experiencing similar problems with fairways, all are pretty excited about introducing more bentgrass. The question becomes: what is the best way to introduce the new seed into the existing poa? There are a few different methods being tried, so in a few weeks, we should know which systems were most successful.
In an effort to limit traffic on the new plants, I have put out more green and white stakes than normal. Please avoid driving through these areas, as the new seedlings will be fragile. Irrigation heads will be run for 2-4 minutes at various times throughout the day to keep the seed and new turf plants moist. Thanks for your cooperation.