A Very Dry Fall

With much cooler temperatures, you probably don't notice it as much now as you would during the summer, but we have had very little rain lately.  Several times this fall, the weather forecast has called for rain, yet it has amounted to little more than a brief shower.  During the past five weeks, we've recorded a mere 0.35" of precipitation. 

Fortunately, this is a time of year when turf doesn't require a whole lot of moisture replenishment.  Still, with the irrigation system shut down for the year, we could use a good soaking rain to make sure the plants aren't going into winter under stress.

One concern if it doesn't rain before winter sets in is desiccation.  This can occur when the plant is subjected to drying from winds.  Although relatively rare in this climate, desiccation would most likely occur on one of two areas at Laurel Creek:  On our sand-based greens, or on exposed fairway mounds.

Once again rain is in the forecast, however at this point we'll believe it when we see it.  So, if you haven't had your home irrigation system shut down yet, consider giving your lawn a good soaking before it is winterized.

Severe mounds, such as this on #6, would be more likely than swales to suffer from desiccation.