Perfect! Temps Cool, Greens Survive 1st Stressors, and Broadleaf Weeds Impress (insert dandelions here)
Perfect! The third week of May turned out to be much nicer than the second week (that record hot one). Temperatures were cool again. Even chilly on a few days. And a nice Chicago spring had returned. The landscape continued to turn the pages of spring. The trees were finally leafed out. I had been watching one. It turns out the Kentucky coffeetree or Gymnocladus dioicus requires patience. On the flowering front, the horse-chestnut tree or Aesculus hippocastanum is in full bloom and hard to miss. As for shrubs, bridalwreath Spirea or S. prunifolia are now completely covered in white flowers.
Golf courses felt perfect. Perfect for turfgrass. Perfect for golfers. Perfect for superintendents and staff (catching up on mowing). The Kentucky bluegrass rough had shot up (April showers here) and was still growing. Many a stray golf ball now missing. A golfer this week said, “The rough! I was trying to find my ball as much as my golf bag out there today.”. Maybe slightly exaggerated? It was all good. Mother Nature had given us a week of perfection. Grade = A+
Weather Summary (May week 3) by Shehbaz Singh, MS
Air temperature. After a week of warm weather, the air temperature in Chicago has (almost) returned to normal for this time of the year. Temperature normally ranges from 50 to 70° F at this point. We are now ranging from 52 to 78° F on most days of week. We saw a high temperature of about 85° F on May 19th. Temperature at this time last year was pretty much similar to what we are experiencing now.
Precipitation. Accumulated rainfall at this point is about 2.26 inches for May, 2022. This is lower than the normal accumulated precipitation of about 2.93 inches. The past week was drier. Chicago area experienced rainfall only on May 18th which was about 0.29 inches. In 2021, accumulated precipitation was only 0.47 inches to this point which is quite lower than 2022.
Forecast. Good news! Next week will be mostly sunny to partly cloudy. Air temperature could vary from 50 to 70° F most days of the week. At midweek, chances of heavy rainfall and windy conditions are high.
Greens Survive 1st Stressors (WILT & TRAFFIC)
Still not a lot of disease diagnostics to report on. So far, just ruling out biotic (fungal diseases (and nematodes)) as causes of any general decline of golf greens. The true actor(s)? Abiotic or physiological stress. Two are occurring:
- Wilt. Midday wilt is always a major factor on sand-based greens. A week ago, evapotranspiration (ET) rates were like mid-summer. Rapid spring warm-ups are difficult to anticipate and adjust for (~90 highs). Judicious hand-watering based on soil moisture data is an essential cultural practice.
- Traffic. Heavy traffic from both golfer foot traffic and equipment can be especially pronounced in the spring. Creeping bentgrass is a stoloniferous grass that has only recently woke up. Overly cool spring temperatures will limit creeping bentgrass growth above (foliar and stoloniferous) and below (critical root growth). Plants are still tender and when stressed will often look bronze (we are seeing a lot of reddish-bronze greens out there). Providing guidance to both golfers and equipment operators of where traffic is acceptable and is not acceptable, on greens, is an essential cultural practice.
Broadleaf Weeds by Shehbaz Singh, MS
Chicago is approaching summer after a prolonged cool, wet weather pattern. As anyone would have expected, along with growth of desired turfgrass, weed pressure is nearing its peak this spring. Different weed species can be seen growing, but a few are dominant at this time of the year.
