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~~The following is the C.D.G.A. scouting report as posted by Derek Settle, PhD~~
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June 8, 2012 Scouting Report
June
is Nice: Very Dry, Optimum Turf Health, No Dollar Spot, Take-All of
Bent Fairways, Peter's Nitrogen Timing and Tim's Kentucky Blue versus
Crabgrass
Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle
If
you enjoy the outdoors, this week felt like heaven. After a record
plunge in temperature, we began our week and the remaining 7 days and
nights provided us with an uncanny cool-season perfection of the turf
kind. Though still dangerously dry from a simple reality that it just
will not rain, our dry soils also go further back. Back to a winter that
lacked snow and an early spring that was way too warm -one could argue
evapotranspiration began earlier than ever recorded. It means our soils
are dry, something we can take in June when moderate near-ideal
temperatures are the norm. So far so good, but in the back of a
plantsman's mind something is brewing. What's a dry, hot summer this
July and August going to look like? Be prepared for turf color of the
brown kind - from experience on golf courses we know inner roughs will
be especially hard hit. But, I'm getting ahead of myself again. It's
June and birds are singing, animals are playing and things like
Hydrangea macrophylla are putting on a show.
The other obvious
thing I saw this week? Golfers just kept smiling as did turf managers.
Our current issues are minor at best. It's just things we've not seen
for a number of years, like a root disease of creeping bentgrass called
take-all. Like localized dry spot showing us the weak rootzone links
beneath. But, we were sort of expecting a dry summer this time around.
In 2012, a Chicago without dew was due!
Click here to view the June 8, 2012 Scouting Report.
It's gonna be a hot weekend, but thankfully it won't last long. So Enjoy!
Derek Settle, PhD
Director of Turfgrass Program |
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