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When It Rains In Florida, It Really Pours!
By John H. Foy, Florida Green Section Director |
After an erratic start, the summer rainy season has fully
arrived in Florida. Beginning in June and continuing through
July, afternoon thunderstorms have occurred on a regular basis.
Golfers, as well as course maintenance staff, need to be
continuously aware of the warning rumbles of thunder that
precede spectacular, but often violent and dangerous lightning
strikes. With most areas of the state having been plagued by a
prolonged and severe drought, the rainfall produced by these
afternoon thunderstorms has been desperately needed. Yet, more
time and rain is needed to fully recover from the drought and to
reestablish normal lake and groundwater levels.
While we should never complain about the rain, the frequent and,
at times, heavy deluges do contribute to additional turf and
course management challenges. In some instances, 2- to 3-inches
of rain has occurred in an hour or two, and the resulting
localized flooding causes setbacks in accomplishing routine
management practices and requires additional time be spent on
debris cleanup and repairing bunker washouts.
Additional problems commonly encountered are explosions in weeds
and an increased incidence of fairy rings. At the very first
signs of an outbreak of fairy rings the importance of proactive
treatments with recommended fungicide and wetting agent
combinations cannot be over-emphasized. Once fairy rings become
fully expressed recovery tends to be a slow process.
Contrary to the common assumption, maintaining optimum putting
green turf health and top quality conditioning is a very
challenging proposition at this time of year. While hot
temperatures are favorable to maximum sustained warm season turf
growth, rapid shoot growth also negatively impacts putting
speeds. Judicious nitrogen fertilization and growth regulator
treatments can help, but a sustained growth rate also must be
maintained throughout the summer to ensure recovery from core
aeration and other cultural management practices.
Also, with frequent and at times heavy rainfall, a
moisture-saturated rootzone persists. This condition results in
a depletion of soil oxygen content, followed by a decline in
root system health and depth. When afternoon thunderstorms do
not occur for a day or two, the rapid onset of drought stress
can be a problem. Thus, it is absolutely essential that close
attention to supplemental irrigation during the rainy season
continues to be practiced.
The daily summer forecast for the Sunshine State is hot and
humid, partly cloudy, and a 50% or more chance of thunderstorms.
While the skies may be clear first thing in the morning,
thunderstorms begin building by mid-day and results in a
dramatic reduction in cumulative solar radiation. The reduced
sunlight intensity has a significant impact on bermudagrass
growth. Reduced sunlight intensity can be further exacerbated on
putting greens with the continued practice of very low heights
of cut. Along with slightly raising heights of cut, additional
care must be exercised with both the aggressiveness and
frequency of other cultural management practices, such as
verticutting, so that the combination of mechanical and
environmental stresses does not result in a setback in turf
health and coverage.
A survival management strategy is necessary through the rainy
season, and everyone also needs to keep their fingers crossed
that we do not get another direct hit by tropical storms or
hurricanes, which would only add insult to injury.
Source: John Foy, jfoy@usga.org or 772-546-2620 |
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