Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle -
Weatherwise we've seen it all in 7 days from snow to unseasonable warmth. Last weekend, folks to our east got a sneak preview of winter when a significant storm caused power outages and left a blanket of snow that measured more than a few inches. Meanwhile, Illinois continued to enjoy a relatively normal period and, if you looked up, you could see peak fall color of many decidous trees like maples, oaks, ginkos, elms, sweetgum, and hawthorns. Our first series of freezing nighttime temperatures had occurred prior to Halloween to change the landscape - annual flowers are now largely gone. Then it was November, and the first two days surprised us (Tuesday's high on Sunshine Course reached 65˚ F). Midweek, this meant good opportunity to visit a few courses without a jacket. I saw extensive drainage projects were now complete. I appreciated the sucessful establishment of slit-seeded bentgrass seedlings on fairways previously flooded during summer. I noticed tees were now without markers and other amenities for golfers. Lastly, I would see the activity of an earthworm or two, but mainly I would capture images of peak turf health as well as beautiful fall color of tree leaves. At season end, our weather favors photosynthesis of cool-season turfgrass which allows accumulation of sugars/carbohydrates. You sense the natural hardening off of plants prior to winter and you realize the significance - like a mother putting children to sleep, with final inputs we are now putting the landscape to bed.
Click here to view the November 4, 2011 Scouting Report.
Have a good weekend and enjoy some of that fall color I keep writing about!
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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