Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle -
It happened. It seems we have survived another difficult summer. Can I really say that? I think I can. We are now almost looking mid-August square in the face and the extended forecast is without 90s for highs and now we can reflect. From the very beginning this growing season was trouble. A very wet spring interfered with our attempts to 'green-up' turfgrass. Then it got really hot during June's first week and that lasted (on and off) until August 2nd. Severe thunderstorms with high winds repeatedly dropped huge trees and we would lose power again. July was intense and it turned out the average dewpoint hadn't been at a higher level since 1980.
I visited more golf courses this week than I would have expected - mainly documentation of July's after-effects. It turns out we experienced the Kitchen Sink - in a matter of words. We again saw what midsummer environmental extremes do to plant health and summer 2011 took our ability to manage plant health to the very edge. "...Another week of consistently warm days in the 90s and things would have gotten interesting." In the end we made it through and that's a good thing. We can write another volume or two in Encyclopedia of a Difficult Growing Season. Mine begins, "It began innocently enough after the snow melt when blades of grass..."
Click here to view the August 12, 2011 Scouting Report.
Have a good weekend and continue to enjoy the terrific weather!
Derek Settle, PhD
Director of Turfgrass Program
630-685-2307
dsettle@cdga.org
Weather Blog
Timothy A. Sibicky, MS
Manager of Turfgrass Research
630-685-2310
tsibicky@cdga.org
Research Blog
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