We have begun the process of aerification. Aeration is one of those “ahh” moments as it
signifies we’ve made it through another year.
The temperatures for the next couple days are supposed be unseasonably
high. The upper 80s and 90s don’t bother
us much since the duration of the heat is short. The turf will heal quickly and provide EXCELLENT
playing conditions this fall.
This has definitely been one of the tougher summers on
record. Some superintendents compare it to
the summer of ’95 when a lot of turf was lost.
Here are several statistics about August’s weather:
Avg daily High- 87
Avg daily Low- 66
Avg. Daily Humidity-
97%
This summer was not extremely hot relative to high
temperatures, but the lows and humidity have been very high, this combination causes significant disease
problems. Fungi love long leaf wetness,
moisture, and weak turfgrass. The
abiotic factors (i.e. weather) have made it a very difficult season. Overall, we did not lose much turf, however, we did have one disease surface on our
greens.
I sent a couple of samples to the Wisconsin Turfgrass
Diagnostic Lab. The results showed that
we had basal rot anthracnose. This was
caused by the stifling nighttime lows that were close to 80 degrees. Some experts view this disease as beneficial to
the turf since it wipes out the poa annua and allows bentgrass to fill in the
voids. As stated by the lab, “High
nighttime lows lead to an increased rate of plant respiration at night, which
decreases energy reserves at a time when the plant cannot provide any extra
energy through photosynthesis. This
often results in poor overall health.” Going
forward, we now know how to treat for this disease if it does show up
again. These areas should fill in within
the next couple of weeks.
Basal rot anthracnose present
on 18 green.
I’m sure many of your lawns have had mushrooms popping up. This is due to the high humidity and
nighttime temperatures.
