Cool season grass is difficult to grow when it gets above 90 degrees. It naturally declines as temperatures rise in the upper 80's. This plug is from the tree lined area of the ninth fairway and there are very short roots.
This plug is from the beginning of the fairway where there is more sun and better air movement. Notice the roots following the aeration channel. The roots are a good one inch longer than the previous frame. Cool season grasses naturally shorten during the summer just when they need to be their longest which is crazy. Aeration helps roots grow deeper and stronger before the grunge hits.
Rhizoctonia blight in the fairways last Tuesday. The humidity was 90 percent with temperatures around 80 when this was taken-perfect conditions for this disease to occur. This disease was not observed in my first trip around the course but was seen about two hours later. Fortunately we were spraying fairways that day!
Lots of birds have been feeding on a number of surface insects so we applied an insecticide to alleviate their pecking.
Growth regulators are improving the bent populations throughout the course. This is from the second green with bent overtaking the darker annual bluegrass.
This shows the importance of drainage. The turf failed between the drain lines but where the soil has been amended the turf survived. Seeding will start soon!
Many thanks to Groody's Groomers and their help repairing divots.
Julio has out done himself this summer with some of our plantings.
Another beauty.
A family of deer enjoying our lake while pruning the trees.
The fourth green better than ever.
There were no winners this time identifying the cause of the turf loss above. Remember the small purple leaf plum at the beginning of the seventh fairway? Anyway this turf had adapted to the shady environment underneath the tree. After it died and was removed the shock of this summers heat spelled its decline.
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