Finally finished

 We completed fairway aerification this past week.  In an ideal world, we could get everything done during the few days we are closed, but Mother Nature rarely provides us with perfect aerifying weather this time of year.  Between rain events either the day prior to, or the day of planned aerification, we only had one nice, low humidity day to work on 34 acres of fairways.

The thatch-picking wagon train on #9.

Because of this, we had to complete the process on #9 and #15 on days we were open.  Working around play obviously makes things a bit more challenging, but we all ate some dust and dirt and got it done.

#15--the final fairway.

We often joke that the actual aerification could be completed in a single day, however the processing of plugs and cleanup is what really takes a whole lot more time.  The last fairway we aerified was #15 on Thursday, which was another hot day, peaking at 92 degrees--definitely hot enough to stress both man and turf!  

Coming in the next morning and seeing the turf looking happy was great, and is proof that the extra time we put into this process is well worthwhile.

Clean and green on Friday morning.

Other tasks tend to get put on the back burner during our August aerification, so it's nice to have this labor-intensive activity out of the way.

Gentle Giants

 Without fail, at least once each summer we get a call from someone reporting Hornets in a bunker.  More often than not, what we find are not Hornet Wasps, but Cicada Killer Wasps.  And while these large wasps may look somewhat terrifying, they are not out to hurt you.

The Cicada Killer is a burrowing wasp, and it seems that they find a sandy bunker face to be quite appealing.  You would really need to be aggressive towards them to see them reciprocate, and turn aggressive.  So,  if humans have little to fear from Cicada Killers, who should be worried?

Yes, it's the Cicada that needs to look over its shoulder to make sure the Cicada Killer isn't closing in on it.  The female Cicada Killer will sting a Cicada, stunning it, then walk/drag/fly/glide the huge Cicada back to its burrow where it lays an egg.  If interested, you can read a bit more about Cicadas and Cicada Killer Wasps here:  https://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/10-facts-about-cicada-killer-wasps/

A word of caution:  We do occasionally encounter other wasps, such as Yellow Jackets or Bald-Faced Hornets on the golf course--both of which absolutely can be aggressive towards intruders--so don't assume that everything is a friendly Cicada Killer!

Cleanup in Aisle 10

 When it comes time to aerify the greens, tees and fairways each August, we always pay close attention to the weather forecast.  Last Monday was a little nerve-racking as we tackled the greens during 90 degree heat, but both plant and man survived the stress.

The blowers were humming during Monday's greens aerification.

As we then looked to Tuesday's forecast, with only a slight chance of an isolated shower, it seemed like a perfect day to start punching fairways.

Things were going well, until a random, isolated shower popped up and parked itself over the golf course shortly after noon Tuesday.  We didn't see it coming, and had #10 fairway completely opened up with plugs from one end to the other.  After watching this turn into a river of mud, we headed home for the day, muttering that we might be better off relying on a Ouija board for a more accurate weather prediction.

Not a pretty picture on Tuesday afternoon.

The story continued on Wednesday, which was once again hot and humid, with little drying occurring.  We cleaned #10 as best we could, but truth be told, we were still left with a muddy mess. 

"Mud ball" would be an appropriate name after our cleanup Wednesday morning.

So, what could possibly help this situation?  Would you believe the answer was:  More rain.  Yes, just as they had done 24 hours prior, the skies opened up, and we got an additional inch plus of rain on Wednesday afternoon.  However, this time, all of that water washed the mud off the turf.

Another heavy thunderstorm helped clean #10.

We often say that aerification is never the same twice.  Changes in temperature, humidity, cloud cover--and rainfall--can certainly make the process interesting, and sometimes frustrating...

The high lows...

When talking with someone about how hot it is outside, most of us focus more on the daytime high temperatures, and aren't quite as concerned about the nights, when we can crawl into bed with our A/C keeping us cool.  Plants aren't so fortunate.

Last week we discussed how hot July was--during the day--but a case could be made that the nighttime temperatures hurt the turf just as much as the daytime temperatures did.  A good example of this can be seen on July 24 and 25, where the daytime highs for the two days net to average with historical numbers.  However, the low temperatures on both nights were five degrees above average (71 versus 66).

In looking at the numbers for the entire month of July, we see that 87% of the daily low temperatures were at or above the average.  As a whole, the month was 4.3 degrees hotter at night than "normal."  The plants just aren't catching a break during these periods, when soils are hot around the clock.  

The graph below is from one of our soil sensors buried in #16 fairway, and shows the daily peaks and valleys of the soil heating and (sort of) cooling.  Throughout the entirety of July, there wasn't a moment when the root zone was below 70 degrees.

Some folks may be saying to themselves, "During both the day and night in July, you're only talking about four degrees above average--what's the big deal?"  

Well, think of it this way:  If your ideal temperature is, for example, 72 degrees inside your home, and you're told that you will have to deal with it being 92 degrees for a month or more, you definitely wouldn't be a happy camper.  Now, what if we say it's going to be 96 degrees for that month in your house--that four degree difference might not seem so tiny any more.  

The point is, the hotter day and night temperatures aren't taking place during ideal growing conditions, but during what are already very stressful times for cool-season turf.  An extra four degrees both day and night for more than a month, can easily be enough for plants to "raise the white flag."

As we get into August, the low temperatures are continuing the trend of being warmer than average.  Of course, eventually (perhaps in October) it will cool off enough that we will see new root growth.  However, there is no doubt that we will be adding this summer's weather to the many things we would have passed on during the crazy year of 2020.

What a month...

July is the hottest month of the year, and always takes some toll on the turf.  This past month was even more extreme, with temperatures running at, or above average on 84% of the days.  As we close the books on July, 2020, we finished close to four degrees hotter than normal each day.

Additionally, as you can see below, overall we had plenty of rain during July.  However, as is common during the summer months, rainfall is inconsistent, and when it comes, it is often way too much all at once.  

The other bummer from the turf's perspective was that the nights were very warm, meaning the soil temperatures remained high.  Hot soils and heavy rain do not go well together.  When you add in other factors such as cart traffic, foot traffic, and insect damage, we are now seeing turf wilt in areas with plenty of moisture.

We grow grass in a region known as "the transition zone."  People often (half) joke that this is a climate where it's too hot for cool-season turf, and too cold for warm-season turf to do well.  With the root loss cool-season grasses experience during the summer, there is little margin for error even on a normal year.

Lastly, if the summers feel as if they are hotter than when you were young, it's not your imagination.  Overall, the temperatures have increased close to three degrees in the past 50 years.

Regardless of the cause, this long-term trend has led to golf courses in the Mid-Atlantic looking at all options in order to maintain quality turf during the dog days.  This includes improved drainage, cooling systems, and increased use of Bermudagrass.  

It feels as if we are limping to the finish line.  August can certainly be a mixed bag of weather, and we are hoping that it isn't as brutal as last month.