Spring

All sights and sounds finally point to spring. Leaves are beginning to emerge, perennial flowers are showing through ground covers, and the golfers have returned. From now until mid summer, I will be focusing on sights that are unseen. What I will be concentrating on is roots. Roots grow actively when soil temperatures are between 45 and 65 degrees. Right now they are taking up nutrients from last fall and storing them in forms to use this summer. Careful management of nutrients and proper cultural practices will enhance the possibility of the turf to survive the heat of summer. What turf managers due is to grow roots in the spring so we can keep the turf alive throughout the summer. Some years it is easier than others. We have no way of determining how the weather effects our ability to manage turf, so we try to favor development as much as possible. Sometimes that interferes with playability issues that golfers see. All the cultural practices that take place on a golf course ie., mowing, fertilizing, watering, spraying, topdressing, aerifying, rolling, etc, will make it possible to have the best chance to keep the course in great shape throughout the season. So when you are out there and observe some of these operations, there may be some short term inconveniences but they far out weigh the long term effect of playability throughout the season.