Three periods of Bentgrass Decline: Soil Temps Hover at 80°, Anthracnose, Pythium, Fairy Ring, Drought, Peter says Turf Field Day and Tim likes Flowers

Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle -

As July ends, we've learned a few things that a record-hot-brutal-summer can teach you! It turns our July, 2012 had three periods of bentgrass decline. In Chicago the first of our stressful periods began with the wondrous July 4th weather (a string of 100s pounded a cool humid landscape). Let's not forget the blessed rain! Severe thunderstorms are quite common for the upper midwest in summer and Chicago is wettest in July or August - just flip a coin to see. Quite probably it could be August in 2012...unfortunately. But I digress. Back to physiological decline of creeping bentgrass. It is something that is well documented by plant physiologists by use of controlled growth chambers. They found extended periods of supraoptimal temperatures meant presto - a slow to rapid decline of creeping bentgrass plant health. Soil temperature is key because it directly effects the rootzone environment and roots are not only responsible for water and nutrient uptake, but also other things like production of plant hormones and storage of photosynthetic carbohydrates. Once we realize bentgrass isn't creeping bentwondergrass, pieces of a sometimes confusing summertime puzzle make sense. A newer disease to blame? Nope. Instead the senario is likely: physiological decline predisposes bentgrass to some new and unusual 'diseases' or disorders. However, as was true in other unusual Chicago growing seasons (1988 and 1995) certain cultural practices help greens BIG time. Read on for more physiology...

Click here to view the July 27, 2012 Scouting Report.

Have a wonderful weekend - moderate Sat/Sun temps. Oh, and rest up for the month of August?

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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While you are playing this week you will notice the greens will be slower than earlier in the year. We have raised the height of cut to give the grass a better opportunity to with-stand the hot temperatures we are having.  The grass has done very well with this weather up to this point, and is still very healthy. We have made it through several key events and are now in a time of year when play is historically slow for the club (it's family vacation time).

The weather report this week had 100 degrees for Monday, and 90s the rest of the week with a heat index nearing 110 today.  The grass may not show a difference from one day to the next, but as these hot days are piling on one after the other, the cumulative effect over time will take its toll.

We are also skipping the "clean-up" pass on the edge of the greens at a more frequent interval through this heat as well.

These efforts to help the plant through the heat will continue until the temperatures begin to recede.  We have enjoyed healthy greens to this point of the year-of which could become the hottest year on record.  We are doing what we can to ensure healthy greens the rest of the year as well.
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Record Hot and Dry: Soil Temps Reach 85°, Highs +90°, Needed Rain Returns, Peter says Tall Fescue & Tim's phrase is Drought Tolerance of Bentgrass 

Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle -

July began hot, then eased for about a day but once again was over-the-top hot this week. Besides gaining an additional five days to tack onto that Chicago record of 26 days with highs +90°, the biggest story this week was what fell from the sky. It was rain, and in one evening and into the next morning some suburbs would record 2+ inches. For example, Sunshine Course in Lemont would total 2.3 inches of rain from July 18 to July 19. But in-between rare rain events our outdoor reality is that we've begun to accept a different look. Brown lawns and leaf-scorched trees are now common and has become our landscape look in 2012. The only alleviation is through use of automatic irrigation systems or alternative practices such as the labor intensive handwatering that superintendents and staff must do to maintain sand-based golf greens. In addition to the constant visual monitoring of midday wilt stress, today we maintain plant health with newer technology. Soil probes that we use to physically sample the rootzone to understand the belowground dynamics of soil and roots are now supplemented with electronic sensors used to generate maps of soil moisture across areas. This allows greater accuracy of water management this season, very necessary when average soil temperatures at a 2 inch depth touch 85 degrees or more (saw again this week). When too wet, soils cannot adequately release heat at night and roots can plain cook - just part of the story as oxygen is necessary for root life and wet soils also work against us by trapping toxic gas byproducts like CO2. The bottom line is summer 2012 has so far produced some of the warmest and driest growing conditions ever recorded. Our work continues as we advance through this record hot, dry summer and boy, it's gotten real ugly. 

With the return of rain, we thought maybe just maybe we'll see the return of a normal summer? What we were thinking until a super-hot forecast appeared for next week. In the meantime, try and have a good weekend. 

Click here to view the July 20, 2012 Scouting Report. 

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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After the 1.3 inches of rain we received last night, we have an opportunity to assess the results of the drainage projects the were completed on 11 fairway and 14 approach.  This 1.3 inches is the largest rain we have had since these projects were completed.  There is a small amount of surface water here on 14 approach, but it will drain in a few hours.  A rain like this last year would have left standing water in the approach, and a very wet and unstable hill for traffic.  That is not the case this morning.

A path of water would likely be in the 11th fairway if the drainage had not been in place.  Getting that water off of the surface and underground is the most beneficial part of this project.

Here is one of the drainage basins in the 11th fairway.  The amount of water running through the pipes can clearly be seen.

By this afternoon, these areas, though soft, will be very playable. And the removal of the standing water will be noticeable if the temperatures do reach 90 degrees.  The entire course will be a little soft through the day today, but I do not anticipate those conditions to last more than a day.
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I won't go into any great detail about this years weather patterns that continue to persist.  The record number of hot days continue to pile on, along with a continued dry spell.  Last year we had nine 90 degree days, this year we have had over 30, and five of those have been 100 degree days.  The ten-day forecast shows 8 more may be added to that total.  Overall the course is holding up well.  The lack of rain is helpful when temperatures are this high.

We have been doing a few extra maintenance practices to help the turf through these temperatures.  We are aerating areas with a solid tine to ensure that water and air are moving through the soil easily.  This is being done in areas that receive concentrated traffic from the carts (around bunkers).

The annual bluegrass is the fairways is certainly showing the stress of the high temperatures.  This is a welcomed site to see.  We are continually trying to decrease the amount of annual bluegrass that is in the fairways.  These areas will be overseeded with bentgrass in a few weeks in hopes to get a desirable grass established in place of the annual bluegrass.

Until we get some break on the hot weather, please mind the ropes that are guiding traffic on the course.  We are doing what we can the keep the grass in the best shape possible.
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A 'Cool' Break: Soil T Falls 10°, Record Heat Meant Poa/Bent Physiological Decline, Dry Means Lawns of Straw, Peter's Brown Patch and Tim says Bluegrass

Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle -

Tired. Not just because record heat has entered our supposed cool, humid environment but also because days are long 'at the end of a hose'. It makes sense when you consider +90° or +100° daytime highs versus the biology of a cool-season turfgrass system (poorly adapted to heat). Turf is tired. Just more item is needed to connect the dots. It's a single short sentence, often ambiguously said, "Fine turfgrass maintained for golf courses." It really means, "Intensive, sometimes extreme cultural practices are required to maintain golf greens." When it is record hot, we must adjust to reduce mechanical stress. We know nothing is more stressful than a sharp blade cutting grass and so it all starts there. It's simple, but it requires frequent monitoring and constant adjustment. If we do not, physiological decline of cool-season turf is certain. You see, a natural and gradual midsummer process of starvation (respiration exceeds photosynthesis) always exists. If we ignore it, one hot afternoon might be turf death. But for a break. Grass blades teetering on the edge of photosynthetic life saw a reprieve on Saturday July 6th when Canada blew a breeze our way (July 5th saw 102.6° versus July 10th saw 81.7°).

A very difficult week reversed itself and tired expressions on tanned outdoor faces began to change. The corners of mouths lifted on most superintendents. It was a smile. Still, one of the scariest summer growing seasons continues. When July looks and feels like August, but it's not. What will August look like? Only time will tell, but from my laptop (after I download multitudes of photos at day's end) this summer is no longer so green. Round 2 is about to begin. Here goes something!

Click here to view the July 13, 2012 Scouting Report.

Have a good weekend and nice to see a smile or two again out in the field this past week!

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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Record Heat: Chicago Counts Days of 100s for Highs, All 3!, Dollar Spot, Brown Patch, Pythium Blight, Both Peter and Tim Say Dollar Spot as it Explodes

Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle -

When Chicago's cool, humid environment is no longer either we know it, and so does our landscape. A very difficult week for plant health was just experienced. As is always true, it's all about the weather. It was just last summer when a single daytime high crossed the century mark. That raised eyebrows in Chicago because our last 100 degree high had been in 2005. Chicago is now having one of its hottest summers on record. The last most similar summer dates to 1995. A golf course superintendent never forgets a bad summer and both 1995 and 1988 are at the top of that list. This week brought consecutive 100+ highs which began on July 4th and by day three, Friday, our official temps at airports O'Hare and Midway saw 103 and 105 respectively. On top of that we continue to remain as dry as we've been in a long time. As we look down, we find unirrigated lawns are now straw colored and some have even begun looking somewhat white?!?

Golf courses in the upper Midwest deal exclusively with cool-season turf. Although we can have good control of irrigation inputs when it's dry, we have little to no control of temperature. The most troubling aspect is that peak summertime soil temperatures build on themselves during July and August and at the moment our current readings at a two inch depth have crossed into the 80s. In a majority of cases our current troubles are not disease, but instead midsummer physiological decline. Adjustment of cultural practices as needed can only maintain turf health. The heat is on.

Click here to view the July 6, 2012 Scouting Report.

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
Continue reading
The heat has been relentless this week. The lowest-high temperature our weather station recorded this week was 95.0 on Monday.  It said 99.1 for the high yesterday, and is at 91.2 already today (at 9:45am).  The course has been doing well through it all (this picture was taken Wed. morning), but it is ready for a break in the heat.  We like to look at the daily low temperatures to get an idea of how stressed the plant may get.  The grass can weather high temperatures during the day much easier when the low temperatures get into the mid 60s at night.  We have not seen a temperature in the 60s since Saturday morning(6/30), and we have not been below 75 degrees since Tuesday morning(7/3).  The forecast has temperatures in the low 60s in the coming days, if that holds true, it will be just what the golf course needs after the stretch we are seeing now.

We have made it through this stretch with few issues.  On the morning of July 4th, some pythium (right) did show up in some areas in the rough.  We do not treat the rough for disease, so it was not surprising that we spotted some.  These spots have not been active since then.

We certainly hope this is the only stretch of weather like this we get for the year, but a lot of summer is left.  Keep your fingers crossed for some lower temperatures this weekend.
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Happy 4th of July! We already had our celebration, but you can relive parts of it here:


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An insect pest called the bluegrass billbug has made it's presence known this year.  Thankfully the damage has been very isolated, and at this point is not widespread.  The bluegrass billbug feeds on not only bluegrass, but several types of cool-season turfgrasses.  We have noted damaged on a few tee banks only (up to this point).  The adult billbug does feed on the plant, but the damage that is noticeable is from the larvae(picture on right), after the adult lays eggs in the plant stem.

This is the damage that results from the larvae feeding on the plant.  These brown patches are noticeable on the tee bank of the blue tee on 4.  We suspect the peak feeding from the larvae is finished, and plan to fertilizer the few areas that have damage to aid in recovery.



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June Ends HOT: 1st Type 2 Fairy Ring on Greens, Dollar Spot Jumps After Rain, Japanese Beetles Build, Peter's 1st Dollar Spot Data and Tim says Tall Fescue

Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle -

Summer just got Record Super Hot. Until now we have been praising our cool-season turf for its deep roots and good color. "Good, nice, wow, terrific." And in response our turf has listened by glowing green and blemish free (given supplemental irrigation). This week things started to change. Peak summer heat entered our Midwest sky above (early) as an ominous forecast of 90s to 100s for highs strung themselves together. Accordingly we began to see signs of plant stress and our miniature boat-shaped leaf blades on greens, Poa annua, gave its first whelp of summer.

This recent amber hue is now commonly occurring on Poa greens in Chicago, yet for the average eye all is well and the putting green looks fine. However, for superintendents this all-to-familiar-look means normal plant physiology of fine turf is no longer the same. On golf surfaces, physiological decline has begun and touche, in response they're moderating maintenance on greens. On especially hot days we back off. As far as ball roll or those green speeds you won't be able to tell as natural plant growth regulators are now in place - high temperature, midday wilt stress and high light levels. With plant growth next to nil careful inventory and evaluation of habitual stressors begins. Like the extra mechanical wear which always rings the cleanup laps of greens. Like traffic patterns on turf (the stressful effects of concentrated foot traffic on greens, and harsh traffic patterns of carts on fairways/roughs). Talk about a hot summer huh. Well it is!

Click here to view the June 29, 2012 Scouting Report.

Have a nice weekend and enjoy your 4th of July. Thankfully rain seems to have returned.

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
Continue reading
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