Winter Time Greens

During the winter months a great amount of protection is provided for our putting surfaces regardless whether the winter time temperatures are at freezing or above. several precautions are taken to help in protecting the plant so that when the spring rolls around the turf is healthy and ready to begin it new growth cycle during the warm season months.


Here's a few examples that you may recognize:


*   Height of cut is raised-during the summer months we typically mow the greens between .117 and .109-that's just above a tenth of an inch. During the winter months the HOC is raised to .151 which is equal to 5/32". There's a tremendous amount of difference in turf now available to uptake sunlight, fertilizer, chemical, and protection against freezing weather.


*   Growth Regulator is removed-During the warm season months I use a growth regulator to help in growth management which reduces the frequency of mowing and the amount of grass clippings by reducing the vertical growth of the turf. Imagine this; hold you hand up and spread your fingers far apart-this is the size of a leaf blade during the winter months----now, bring your fingers into a fist shape-this is the size of the leaf blade during the summer months under the management of a growth regulator. If you can imagine this magnify this across the entire putting surface. During winter months there's a lot of turf reaching out to grab everything it can to live. During the summer months those leaf blades are shrunk down and in height and width, the smooth rolling know begins and consistentency sets in.
Some of you may say that in the winter time, the ball rolls better and/or faster. Keep in mind that's during cold temperatures, when temperatures start warming up, putting speeds slow down.


*   Fertilizers-during the winter months, a granular product is applied every 30 days. I tend to favor the phosphorus and potassium along with micro-nutrients rather than the nitrogen. As an example we apply a 10-20-20 in December, January, and February, 1/2 pound p/1000 sq. ft. of Nitrogen is applied and 1.0 pound p/1000 sq. ft. of phosphorus and potassium is applied. That equals out to 600 pounds of granular fertilizer applied per month. Once March rolls around a decision is based on temperatures, soil moisture levels, has it been a dry year or wet year so far? Then comes soil testing to find out the deficiency in nutrients in the soil and leaf blades.


*   Fungicides-For all of you that have been members here for years, I'm sure you can remember the years when #3,4,5, 14, greens & the putting green would lose turf in the late winter months. After the third year of my complications with these same greens plus a few more, I TOOK ACTION. 18 out of 20 greens we found damage drainage and after all the drainage issues were fixed all 20 greens today have held up nicely throughout the year. What a relief!!!
 With all that said, a fungicide program was established to help in controlling leaf spot diseases. Every two weeks an preventative fungicide application is made. Once the warm season rolls around I shift to different types of fungicides spraying every 30 days targeting root rot diseases and fairy ring diseases.


There's so much detail that I can go into that has not even been mentioned, but I just wanted to share the basics. I hope you got something out of it and if you really want to get in depth, well come and find me.


Thanks
Willy Plowman
Golf Course Superintendent