Record July Ends...Welcome Dog Days of Summer!

With the last day of July 2012 behind us the numbers are in.  A Peoria record that stood since 1901 that counted 26 days in the month of July over 90 degrees was tied on the last day of the month in 2012.  We now face some of the driest and hottest days of the season traditionally in the month of August.  The Central Illinois region has been under the gun of Mother nature for some time now and things are tough for turf managers.  Many courses are running low or are out of water.  The extreme drought may be the bigger story over the heat.  Significant rainfall is a distant memory for most and many cities are now looking at water restrictions throughout the region.  Just ask anyone who makes a living in the agricultural business and the true severity of the drought situation becomes very clear. 
The U.S. consumer will even feel the effects of this summer as they pay for food products at the register in the upcoming months. 

Back to turf!!  The course has remained in good shape as we enter into August.  We have some blemishes but for the most part playability is very good.  The greens and tees have remained in good shape and most of our challenges are in the fairways.  We are seeing much less turf damage then we saw last year at this point in time and that is a good.  Mother nature is helping us control Poa Annua (undesirable grass type) in a big way and that is most of what we see in the fairways. 


CCP crew member completes early morning greens mowing

A long conversation last night with turf specialist Dr. Derek Settle from the Chicago District Golf Association centered around the harsh conditions we are seeing in our region.  The concern is the continued heat and dry conditions that are in the forecast and the month of August, which is typically hotter and drier then July.  We will be implementing some cultural practices to help the turf survive but the question becomes how long the turf can hang on under these conditions. 

In the next few weeks we will be solid tining the greens and tees to allow gas exchange and water movement in the root zone of the plant.  This is important during high stress periods as the plant has had roots die back during the hot conditions.  The microbial degradation of the dead organic matter produces gases under the turf canopy that can build to toxic levels in the plant if not released.  Solid tining or venting the greens allows for the gas/oxygen exchange to occur and helps improve overall plant health.  This has no real impact on playability or ball roll and the small holes are gone in 3-5 days.  We will keep an eye on the weather and complete this agronomic task when the opportunity is presented.

Dr. Settle has suggested that we will see solid recovery of the turf stressed areas when we see two things occur.  The cooler shorter days of fall arrive and more importantly some rain events return to the region.  Let's hope that the forecasts are wrong and we see some moisture and moderate temperatures return to the region in the next month.  These changes would be welcomed by many and appreciated by those who make a living managing plants through these harsh conditions.