May! Creeping Bent Woes, Cool Nights, Desiccation, and a Native Forb & Grass Demo
A couple weeks ago I said, “We are now in full spring mode!”. Well, I was kind of right and kind of wrong. Nighttime temperatures have continued to remain cool (dipping into 40s). That’s normal — Mother Nature makes us wait on planting things like tomatoes that need warmth. Growers in the upper Midwest know to pause until Mother’s Day to avoid a chance of frost in the spring. Nevertheless, if you enjoy color we’ve had that in spades. For example, this week tulips were in peak bloom at the Chicago Botanic Garden. And if purple hues are your thing, we are seeing more of that. Lilacs are a diverse group of woody ornamental shrubs that have begun to flower in Chicago’s suburbs. One, the old fashioned Syringa vulgaris, is both enormous and showy — a garden staple for 100+ years. The flower scent of common lilac has been described as pungent, powerful, aromatic, heady, and intense. And don’t forget to look for two small flowering trees crabapples (white and magenta) and eastern redbuds (pinkish purple).
On the turfgrass side, lawns are quickly recovering from injury caused during our most recent fall and winter. Stuff happened and seed has been flying to thin areas this spring. And it’s working! Without supplemental irrigation in the fall (2024 was dry), weakened turfgrass didn’t survive. It makes sense and was most often associated with: 1) Sandy soils, 2) a lack of fall establishment by sod or seed, or 3) unable to compete for necessary water, light and nutrients — large trees always win. As of late, our spring conditions have become dry and has meant fungal diseases are not problematic. Instead a majority of issues have been related to issues of growth — a lack therein. One, creeping bentgrass, has struggled due to a combination of cool nighttime temperatures x necessary spring applications (some of which create growth regulation effects). But, cheer up, cool nights are now over. Happy Mother’s Day Weekend!
Weather
Scouting for Abiotic Injury — Desiccation
Sometimes we can’t explain all of what happened to turf in the ER (Emergency Room), but a review of growing conditions can provide strong indications of what may have happened. In a week we were able to see that newly establishing turfgrass may have had some lethal issues related to weather. For example, without supplemental irrigation it was a difficult fall due to dry conditions. On top of that it also turned to be a dry winter.
“The winter of 2024–25 in Chicago was notably mild and had the least amount of snow in 88 years. Temperatures were generally below average, though December was warmer than usual. The total snowfall was significantly below normal, with only 11.9 inches recorded.” source: NBC 5 Chicago Weather Recap
Native Forbs and Grasses — Landscape Areas for Golf Courses
The Idea
The idea to use native forbs and grasses at the Bob Berry Course in Lemont, IL came from Coyote Run Golf Course in Flossmoor, IL. Golf course superintendent Dave Ward repurposed discarded sand from bunker renovations and created out-of-play mounds suitable for a native prairie forb and grass habitat. Over time, those areas have been impactful by increasing habitat complexity, biodiversity, and pollinators. It has educated others — an example of ecological stewardship in metropolitan Chicago.
Materials & Methods
- Location — Plants were established on a sand mound at Bob Berry Sunshine Course in Lemont, IL
- Initiation — Transplanted on June 6, 2024
- Materials — Nursery-grown forb and grass plugs sourced from Native Plant Nursery, Monee, IL
- Design — Planting locations were randomly selected, with some grouped by similar species
Morphological Characteristics by Category and Size
Conclusions — Year 1
We successfully established a native prairie out-of-play area.
- Planting plugs meant inflorescence occurred on all grasses and a majority of forbs flowered (golden alexander and whorled milkweed did not).
- Spotted bee balm was very attractive to insect pollinators.
- The first year of establishment required ~4 hours of labor per month (Jun-Oct) to address broadleaf weeds — string trimming, hand removal, herbicide spot applications (non-selective glyphosate).
Education
A new YouTube video series began in 2024. It captures Chicago District’s most experienced golf course superintendents lending their expertise. Each is filmed on-site at the Bob Berry Sunshine Course in Lemont, IL.
Final Photo
“Growing wild over much of the Near East and Central Asia, tulips had probably been cultivated in Persia from the 10th century. By the 15th century, tulips were among the most prized flowers; becoming the symbol of the later Ottomans. Tulips were cultivated in Byzantine Constantinople as early as 1055 but they did not come to the attention of Northern Europeans until the sixteenth century, when Northern European diplomats to the Ottoman court observed and reported on them. They were rapidly introduced into Northern Europe and became a much-sought-after commodity during tulip mania. Tulips were frequently depicted in Dutch Golden Age paintings, and have become associated with the Netherlands, the major producer for world markets, ever since.” see Wikipedia
