The seemingly endless winter

With the temperatures in the 30’s and 40′ here at the course, ( we should be seeing upper 40’s and low 50’s by now)  we are starting to think that spring may be just around the corner.  Taking a walk around the course the past few days has shed some light on actual snow depths out on some of our greens.  While this March has shown us that we truly are at the mercy of Mother Nature, there are a few things that we can do to help her welcome in Spring.

Bentgrass greens can usually tolerate between 75 to 150 days of continuous snow/ice cover.  The cold-hardy Bent will be able to out-compete the weaker but more invasive Poa Annua because of this trait.  Poa Annua is not cold tolerant and you may see injury in as little as 30 days of ice cover.

We are currently debating when would be the best time to try and get out and get these greens uncovered to help Mother Nature.  The fact of the matter is that we can’t even GET to the greens with most of our equipment to move the snow.  There are a few options when it comes to taking snow off the greens without damaging the surface and we are exploring all options at this time.

I would like to say I am paitently awaiting the arrival of spring but I’m sure I am not the only one who would do just about anything to trade in their winter boots for flip flops…

Aaron Johnson

Wildflower Golf Course Superintendent