March 18, 2014

I am not going to complain about this years winter or yesterday's snow...it is what it is and I cant change it.

I have been asked if this winter is good or bad and the answer is yes and no.

Yes because:

-         We received plenty of moisture

-          There was a lot of “frost heave” to break up and naturally aerate the top few inches of the soil profile 

-         Without much winter play, the turf did not get a lot of wear and tear

-         The snow cover insulated the turf from winds and desiccation

-         Most likely, the record cold temperatures reduced fungi and insect populations. Although this affects both the bad and good guys, it would seem that they will be in a more manageable balance come spring.

No because:

-         We didn’t have many golf days

-         The turf may take a bit longer to green up this spring because of the low soil temperatures

-         There remains a chance that with cool, wet weather, snow mold may become a problem in the next few weeks

-         We will be a few weeks behind schedule when the weather does “break”, and will need to adjust to the late start

We need to remember that grasses have been around for millions of years and have survived pretty much everything that can happen. We will make it through this too.