Spring is an extremely important period for turf as it recovers from any winter stress as well as prepares for the upcoming summer. Although, everyone sees and plays golf on the green grass on top of the ground, it is the plant activity underground that’s critical for surviving a difficult summer. Without roots, the turf cannot extract water, minerals or oxygen from the soil. Without a healthy root system, there isn’t a place to store all of the food the plants create during photosynthesis.
Optimal soil temperature for root growth is 50-65 degrees. Spring and Fall are the two periods in which the turf can be the most efficient in producing roots and food reserves. As the soil and air temperatures increase, photosynthetic activity and root production slows and can even stop. When air and soil temperatures reach extremes the process of photosynthesis can stop foprcing the plants to rely on the food stored in their roots.
Besides, high temperatures, two other factors can drastically impact root production. Height of cut and the frequency of mowings. In a nutshell, as greens are mowed shorter and more frequently, the root systems become compromised and begin to shrink. The shorter the top growth, the shorter the under the ground growth.
So, mowing too short and too often during prime root growing weather could negatively impact the health and quality of the turf when it matters in July and August. Current mowing heights and green speeds mirror that of early May of prior years. As May proceeds, the mowing heights will be slowly lowered and the green speeds will begin to quicken. But right now, root production should be the priority and we're off to a good start.
Pictures Taken Tuesday, May 03, 2011.
Beautiful, white Creeping Bentgrass roots on #1 Green.
Excellent view of topdressing layer and aeration impact.
