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1995, No. 3
What the Heck Happened to MY Turf this Summer??
Until now, Mother Nature has not smiled on us, and 1995 has proven to be a horrible year to maintain high-quality turfgrass.
In August, diseases such as brown patch, Pythium, anthracnose, and summer patch have all severely damaged turf.
Crabgrasses, spurges and other weeds are going gangbusters in areas where turf has thinned or died.
It is important to understand that the weather during the 1995 growing season has been the worst in more than 15 years.
The problems really began last spring when we experienced a long, wet, cool period.
Spring is the most important period of the year for cool season turfgrass root growth and development.
Because many soils remained damp and cool, the turf developed shallow roots.
Conversely, the conditions did cause a surge in shoot growth that required frequent mowing.
This may also have used storage carbohydrates for shoot, rather than root, production.
Later, in June and July, many areas were exposed to extended periods of hot temperatures and below normal precipitation.
Maintaining turf quality when root systems are shallow is difficult during hot and dry conditions, even when adequate irrigation water is available.
In addition, when soil temperatures are high, the root systems of cool season turfgrasses will regrow only sporadically, or not at all.
Also during this time, in unirrigated areas, turfgrasses commonly went dormant and some turf died.
While temperatures remained hot in August, humidity and precipitation increased.
Stressed turfgrasses with poorly developed root systems, coupled with precipitation and high humidity, have led to severe, even uncontrollable, disease problems.
In addition, the extended period of high soil and air temperatures may have caused both direct and indirect high temperature injury and death.
This may be especially true of annual bluegrass, a grass that has poor heat tolerance and is prone to decline during periods of high temperatures.
Also, keep in mind that creeping bentgrasses and perennial ryegrasses have a predominantly annual root systems.
The root systems of these grasses commonly decline during summer's heat, and root regrowth will generally not occur until soil temperatures drop below 80°F.
At present, efforts should be made to improve turf stands.
Use proper management to take advantage of the natural cool season turfgrass growth cycles.
Any overseeding or replanting should be done with high quality seed or sod.
In the future, continue to manage turf to produce the best root systems possible.
Finally, always remember that Mother Nature can ruin even the best management and planning.
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