Preparing For The Heat
By Darin S. Bevard, director, Mid-Atlantic RegionJune 11, 2014
|The use of knife
tines to vent the soil profile is one practice to help putting green grasses
survive summer stress. Venting is beneficial to turfgrass health and minimally
impacts playability. Do not be surprised to see a similar practice performed on
the greens at your golf course.|
conditions have been favorable for cool-season turfgrass growth, but
preparations for the inevitable summer heat are well underway.
our recent travels, compliments about overall course conditioning have been
heard frequently. Seasonal temperatures and sporadic rainfall have allowed firm,
fast conditions to be produced and maintained without risking the health of cool-season
grasses. Equally as important, temperatures have been warm enough to provide
rapid improvement of bermudagrass tees, fairways and rough. It is one of those
rare periods of weather in the mid-Atlantic region when just about everyone is
satisfied regardless of the grass they are growing. Inevitably, temperatures
will heat up and maintenance practices will become more conservative,
especially on putting greens. Different strategies are available to preserve
the health of the grass during high-stress periods.
Poking small holes in the soil profile with a spiker attachment, solid aeration
tines, or slicing tines can stimulate rooting, improve air exchange and help
with water infiltration. These small holes can help the grass survive difficult
environmental conditions during the summer. Frequency varies from weekly to
monthly depending on individual circumstances. Disruption to playability is
minimal and full recovery usually occurs in two or three days.
Rollers. Putting green mowers have the option of smooth
rollers or grooved rollers. When grass is not growing aggressively, grooved
rollers can actually create stress, especially under wet conditions. Smooth
rollers should be considered under stressful conditions. This subtle change can
alleviate stress on the grass. The use of smooth rollers leads to an
effectively higher height of cut further reducing stress on the grass but also reduces
putting green speeds. Under environmental extremes, the health of the grass
must be considered before green speeds. Switching to smooth rollers is not a
necessity, but it can be beneficial to turfgrass health.
Height. Raising the cutting height also reduces stress on
the grass. With more leaf tissue on the plant, photosynthesis–the production of
food–occurs at a higher rate. Increased photosynthesis helps the plant build up
carbohydrate reserves to better withstand summer stress. Again, increasing
height of cut leads to slower greens, but plant health must be considered before
green speed during stressful periods.
Environment. It may be a little late to make
effective changes now, but at least evaluate the growing environments around
your greens during the summer. It is no coincidence that the same greens
struggle each year, and if nothing is done to improve growing environments the
greens will continue to struggle. Compromised sunlight penetration and poor air
movement lead to weak grass. Make plans now to take the necessary steps to give
the grass the best chance of survival by removing trees and underbrush that
negatively impact turfgrass health. Installing fans to create artificial air
movement should be considered when air movement cannot practically be improved
by removing trees and underbrush.
mid-Atlantic summers always seem to provide some challenging weather periods.
Enjoy the current weather patterns as long as you can but don’t forget to
prepare for summer stress. Understand that certain strategies are implemented
to preserve the health of the grass at the cost of green speed. Tolerating
greens that are a little slower in the short term while environmental stress is
high will be beneficial in the long term.
Information on the USGA’s Course Consulting Service
Contact the Green Section Staff