The Greens Are Thirsty!

Due to the large amount of courses in the Milwaukee County Park system, the plumbers haven't gotten around to Warnimont to turn the irrigation system on yet. They are suppose to come out this Wednesday and we should get the system rolling. In the mean time the higher temperatures and the lack of rain is beginning to take a toll on the turf grass in the greens. We have also had some pretty windy days which can increase evapotranspiration just like a hot, sunny 85 degree day. This could also lead to hydrophobic activity on the greens which can make the soil almost impossible to retain water. With no irrigation system and no rain in sight we really can't fertilize the greens to get the nice lush look we had last year. In order for optimal plant uptake of the nutrients from the fertilizer they need to get watered in, which delivers nutrients to the root zone. With the lack of water and nutrients for the greens, the grass will have a chlorotic or wilting appearance to the plant because of insufficient chlorophyll formation for photosynthesis. On the upside of things the greens are healthy due to our past management practices, allowing the turf grass plant to store carbohydrates and close the stomas to retain as much water as possible. Once we get the water back on we will get a wetting agent down to allow the soils to hold sufficient amount of water, reverse the hydrophobic areas, allow for optimal plant uptake of water, and producing nice healthy looking greens!