Over the past week we've begun to remove some of the snow cover from select greens. This time out we had the ability to leave a 4 to 6 inch snow layer behind. This layer goes back to the rain we had in December of 2010 that ultimately contributed to the ice build up we have on some greens. By knocking down the snow pack the hope is for a faster melt. Why not completely blow it off this time of year? Same old, same old: I don't want the
Poa annua breaking dormancy too early and risk death by low temperature or crown hydration/dehydration (a.k.a. freeze/thaw injury). When we get closer and the weather has taken a turn we will be able to get those greens we blew earlier on and expose them far quicker than if we still had to blow large amounts of sloppy, slushy snow.
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| Blowin' 4 Green |
One problem we have created is the obvious fact that there is now more snow on the surrounds after blowing snow from the greens. To make matters worse that snow will be bullet proof and slow to melt. Sort of a calculated risk since I am more comfortable with what damage may or may not occur on the surrounds with a prolonged melt. Regardless if we blow snow off the greens now or later the same situation with respect to the surrounds would exist but at least now the greens will be closer to being clear. A little support for our winter/ice strategy appears in an article posted by the USGA. Click
here to go to a short article that talks directly about ice on greens and what to watch for.
