Friday, February 18, 2011

2011 Ice Age Is Over??

In January, we wrote about ice accumulation on the greens causing potential problems for turfgrass this spring. As of today, (Friday February 18th) we have had 28 consecutive days of ice on greens. Research suggests that at least 40 to 45 days of ice accumulation is necessary to cause problems. The February thaw we are seeing this week is removing snow and ice from greens in an efficient and inexpensive way. As of this writing we are not planning to mechanically remove snow from the greens, or apply black sand to greens' surfaces to melt ice.

Although I don't like making predictions when dealing with fine turfgrass, it would appear that we can stop worrying about ice related issues at this time. Water is flowing between the greens' surfaces and the ice layer, providing gaseous exchange which plants need even in winter.

We can't wait to see everyone on the green golf course very soon. It has been white for far too long.