By the end of last week the snow was beginning to disappear at a slow and steady rate and some of the greens were becoming exposed and everything seemed good. Obviously, the past weekends weather has set things back a bit. Optimistically, we should be back to where we were by the end of this week. Possible problems might be increased incident of disease on those greens that were exposed, but I doubt it. Everything I could see last week had no obvious problems and I would guess the turf can handle at least one more bout of winter.
The one other thing that could be addressed here is the Poa/Bent difference, again. Possible metaphors you could use to describe the two types of turf might be The Tortoise and the Hare, or The Ant and the Grasshopper with Poa representing the Hare and/or Grasshopper. Throw in the fact that it doesn't take a whole lot of encouragement for Poa to "get its dormancy off" and what could result is an ill-timed growth spurt. Bentgrass, obviously, represents the other side of those fables: slow and steady, plan for a rainy day, etc. etc. is less likely break dormancy early. Breaking winter dormancy too early could lead to damage from crown hydration. Damage results when cells within the crowns (the point from which leaf and roots originate,again think of an onion) absorb water and freeze. If the temperature drop is severe ice may develop within the plants and burst the cells ultimately killing the plant. I have referenced this before as it relates to damage in the early winter and melting ice and is the biggest reason why I want surface water off the greens in the spring. I would hazard a guess that this is a slim possibility. If anything good came out of the snow this past weekend it was the protection the cover offered from the -12 lows experienced on Saturday night.
I'll keep everyone informed by posting where we are at later in the week.
I'll keep everyone informed by posting where we are at later in the week.
