WINTER DESSICATION
Continuing with the topic of winter injury, todays post highlights winter dessication. Dessication occurs when the turf dries to the point of death. Dessication can be very detrimental to large areas of turf if the conditions are favorable. The best defense for dessication is a cover on the turf to prevent exposure to the sun and wind. During the winter months, this is best accomplished with snow. If there is no snow cover, it may be necessary for irrigation to be applied.
Through the winter, the turf still needs available water, albeit, much less than when it is actively growing in the summer. After the soil becomes frozen, moisture in the soil becomes unavailable to the plants. If the leaves above ground are exposed to the sun and wind the turf can dry out to the point of death.
Winter dessication can occur here, but is less common that other areas of the country. Courses in the plains states are regularly taking actions to prevent dessication. Other areas prone to low humidities, high winds, and lots of sun regularly deal with this issue. If conditions are favorable for dessication, the best thing to do is apply water. In northern states, most golf courses winterize their irrigation systems to prevent water from freezing in the pipes. It is common for courses that regularly deal with dessication to install supplemental water lines below the frost line that allow for water applications through the winter.
Sean McCue, Superintendent at The Country Club at Castle Pines in Colorado maintains a blog and has recently posted about how they deal with winter dessication: Dead or Alive
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