As rains come, so do problems

Drought conditions last summer weren’t limited to the Southeast and the West. Ohio had its own problems with dried up turf. This year, the opposite seems to be true, but with the moisture comes a different set of headaches.

In some parts of Ohio, saying it has been a moist summer so far is an understatement. Columbus had its second rainiest June in history, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Aside from flooding, that much precipitation can lead to unwanted conditions such as high populations of grubs, greater levels of thatch and unusual growing patterns in turf. Professors from Ohio State University and other professionals braced superintendents for what’s to come at an Ohio Turfgrass Foundation regional seminar at Sylvania (Ohio) Country Club.

Here is a summary outlining some wet-weather turf issues that could arise on golf courses in Ohio and elsewhere:

1. Japanese beetles and masked chafers live for moist conditions in which to mate, says David Shetlar, Ph.D., associate professor of entomology at OSU. They’ve had their chance this summer in Ohio, and this, of course, leads to more offspring.

“I’m predicting grub populations are going to be off the scale this year,” Shetlar says.

It's a good year to consider treating even the roughs for grub damage, he says.

2. While checking for grubs, also check the turf for thatch. The rain contributes to the layer of dead organic matter in the turf, says Karl Danneberger, Ph.D., professor of horticulture and crop science at OSU.

3. Another odd occurrence Danneberger’s been hearing about this summer is random blades of grass growing much faster than the rest of the turf. This has been reported on many greens on the East Coast, but many Ohio courses are seeing the odd growth too. Plant growth regulators don’t seem to have an effect, Danneberger says.

The odd growth is nothing to be alarmed at, he adds.

“Just keep mowing it off,” he says.

4. In light of record rainfall, also look for instances of all-out flooding or surface water running, warns Bob Brame, director of the North Central Green Section for the United States Golf Association. Drainage tiles can be a great tool, but don’t let the greens committee talk you into believing it can take the place of aerifying, he says. GCI

For more information about the region’s conditions, visit http://buckeyeturf.osu.edu.