Friday, February 7, 2014

How To Stay Green In The Winter

We have been very pleased with our new grasses on the course throughout the winter so far, as they have maintained color and resiliency even through the coldest stretch of the season. One of the factors we took into consideration when selecting new turf for the renovation was their cold weather tolerance. Most warm season grasses shut down and enter dormancy during this time of year. There are many reasons why selected the Celebration and Champion varieties, one of them being their ability to retain color and recuperative ability. We also incorporated several different strategies to help our turf sustain, and to ensure that we did not lose any of our playing surfaces. Our weekly foliar sprays were adjusted to provide the greens with a more appropriate nutrient package necessary to survive cold stress and enhance a darker color to retain higher temperatures. We also used a black topdressing sand as another way to retain heat. You may have noticed since last weekend that the greens went through a substantial color change and growth flush after only a few days of temperatures near the 80's. This rapid natural response is not only a sign that the greens are strong and active, but also a sign that we can look forward to a quick and easy transition into the active growing stages of spring and summer.
Good color for early February!

Only isolated rough areas saw any effects of frost

From 4 green- lush, healthy leaves!