What's New and Possible Winter Scenarios

I guess the good news is there is nothing earth shattering to discuss. Most of the snow has all melted except for a very thin layer on the greens surface. The cold weather has caused most of the ground to freeze solid. That usually means there is little opportunity for disease until the spring melt. It also means it could take a while for stuff to get going in the spring since the soil temperature needs to be above 50degrees F (10 degrees C) to get good turf growth. Right now all we can do is look at present conditions and decide if they may impact the turf next spring and try to formulate a plan.

A little FYI: "Winter Kill", the catch all term for dead turf in the spring, can usually be attributed to one or a combination of the following:

1. Disease
2. Crown hydration/dehydration or freeze/thaw cycle
3. Ice
4. Direct Low Temperature Kill

For most situations water needs to be present in one form or another (i.e. liquid or ice) to cause damage to turf. Up to this point, luckily, the greens have had very little water flowing or freezing on the surface.

Another factor contributing to unhealthy turf is the level of the plants reserves. Once spring arrives and the turf begins to grow the severity of damage to the exposed turf from the extreme early winter conditions may be depended upon how much carbohydrates (CHO) the turf was able to store before the temperature dropped. Increased height of cut, fertilizer applications, and a warm ground to keep the soil and roots active all aid in CHO production and storage in the fall. This fall was challenging because of the ill timed snow falls and below normal temperatures affected our fall fertilizing schedule and, as a result, the turf may not have had sufficient opportunity to develop adequate CHO stores.

We have experienced just about every version of the above scenarios that I have laid out at one time or another. Luckily, they have been limited to certain areas and not over the entire golf course. Arrival of winter cause us to change gears but it doesn't stop us from thinking about the turf and what surprises may await us once the snow melts.