Welcome to the NEW Pacific Northwest…
or at least that’s what it seems like.
Rain, Rain, and (that’s right), more RAIN!
Turf Managers throughout the East Coast of the US have been in a weather pattern not seen in a few years. Abundant amounts of rainfall. Thankfully, the really hot temperatures have not followed the rain, and other than scheduling issues the weather has not caused a lot of trouble for the most part. A few points to remember about your agronomic program during these rainy times. The term “LUXURY CONSUMPTION” can refer to many things but were going to focus on the two main issues for this article. Nutrition and Water Management.
What’s going on right now with the turfgrass plant is that it doesn’t have to work real hard for anything. Everything it needs is right at the top of the soil profile. The plant came out of winter with a big root system filled with carbohydrates and then never had to use it. Most turf has decided that it is actually easier to abandon those long root systems for easy living up near the surface (since that’s where the water is most abundant). The turf blades are full of water, and the roots are only about 2 inches deep. The grass plant has gotten fat and happy, that is “LUXURY CONSUMPTION”. When the hot dry weather comes…and it will, WATCH out! There are going to be some serious flare ups and dead turf because the plant was not ready for it.