Recovery

 

Growing up in the 1990s I can remember many of the losing seasons the Cincinnati Bengals endured. Since they rarely sold out, the only way to listen to the games was on the radio. After every loss Dave Lapham had the tough job of interviewing the players after another titanic struggle. After every seemingly inevitable loss, the locker room was full of dejected players who were sick and tired of the loosing but showed up everyday despite getting pummeled by their opponents week after week after week.  After this summer season I can fully understand their pain.

As I wrote about in the last blog post, July was a month for the record books. According to the Wilmington Ohio regional weather summery, CVG recorded more night time temperatures above 70 degrees in one month than ever recorded in their 100 year history. Western Hills, in particular, picked up more rain than many other tristate areas with rainfall over 150% above normal. Here at WHCC we picked up over 7" of rain for the Month of July and early August. This combined with the high temperatures and humidity really took a beating on the golf course, especially the fairways.

In early August, as I was working in yet another heat wave monsoon, I had an encounter similar to Lieutenant Dan's Bubba Gump shrimp boat experience. As I was yelling at the storm, I came to the realization that I can't control what I can't control and Mother Nature is going to do whatever she wants. The only thing I can manage is how we react. 

It was time to get down to the 4 basic principles of turfgrass management: fertilization, growing environment, mowing, and water management. Obviously water management had gotten completely out of our control, but the other principles we had some control over. We came up with a short and long term plan and began implementation: slit seeding, aeration, fertilizing, spraying, sodding, topdressing, increasing mowing heights and decreasing frequency of cut. The recovery was slow and some days we felt like every step we took forward the weather would push us two steps back. But much like the Shake and Blake offense of the 1990s we started to get some wins.

Luckily, the weather began to improve by the end of August which allowed us to get seed in the ground and germination in many of the mud pit fairway spots. After an organic fertilizer application, the areas slowly began to heal and as of this writing I believe we are about 80% recovered. Currently, just for good measure, Mother Nature has turned off the spigot completely and we are in the midst of a good ole fashion draught. However, at the dismay of the operating budget, now we are able to at least control the moisture. Currently we need to keep the fairways moist to keep pushing the seed into germination.

In addition, I contacted the USGA agronomist for a site visit and report. CLICK HERE FOR THE REPORT. In summary the weather was the biggest contributor to the turf loss this season; however, there are action items we need to continue to work on including fairway drainage, decreasing trees, and decreasing organic matter. In addition, a master plan should be considered to set priorities where investments are to be made. These are solutions for the long term, but hopefully Mother Nature will continue to help us in the short term to help the recovery process.

Yours truly (or Lt Dan) in the middle of a heat wave monsoon!

Chris Wheeler venting the beginning of #1 fairway.

Michael T. Westendorf slit seeding #9 fairway.

Sodding an area on #18 fairway

Sodding the bottom of #15 fairway

Plugging the dead area on #6 approach

Using green dyed sand mixed with bentgrass seed, milorganite, and peat moss to hide and heal the bad spots before the member/guest tournament

7 days after slit seeding the beginning of #9 fairway

Two weeks later.

One month later

An area on #18 that was scorched by a heavy rain event followed by sunshine and 90+ degree temperatures. The turf was boiled.

Area after sodding.

One month later

#4 hillside after the July conditions.

Slit seeding the area in mid August

#4 area in late July

In mid August

Same area in mid-September

#7 fairway in August

Same area in mid September

Aeration

September is aeration month and the grounds crew is in the thick of the aeration schedule. The greens were solid tine aerated and verticut on September 2nd. The deep tine fairway aeration scheduled for October 3rd has been postponed to November 3rd to let the fairways heal in longer before the procedure. The hollow tine tee aeration, topdressing, fertilizing, and overseeding was completed this past week. Next up will be aeration of the approaches and rough. We will be pulling cores on these locations to try and decrease organic matter. Also we will pull cores on some of the bad fairway spots to help with drainage and to decrease OM. Pulling cores is more inconvenient than solid tine aeration, but considering the conditions this past summer, we need to concentrate on more aggressive tactics to increase the health of the playing surfaces.

Aerating #12 green

Topdressing then verticutting the practice green.

Spotted Lanternfly

Recently, I have received many questions about a mysterious bug people are noticing on the grounds. The insect is called the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula). It is an invasive insect native to Asia, first detected in the United States in Pennsylvania in 2014. It poses a serious thereat to agriculture, particularly grapevines, fruit trees, and hardwoods- with their favorite host being the invasive tree of heaven. The insect feeds on the sap of plants weakening them and making them more susceptible to disease and other pests. As it feeds, it excretes a sticky substance called honey dew, which promotes the growth of sooty mold, further damaging the plants and affecting crop yield.

This pest spreads easily by laying egg masses on vehicles, outdoor equipment, and firewood, making containment difficult. States affected by the spotted lanternfly have urged residents to inspect and remove egg masses. Controlling its population is crucial to protecting local ecosystems and agriculture industries. Public awareness, monitoring efforts, and research into natural predators and biological controls are all vital in managing the spread of this destructive insect.

Spotted lanternfly was first detected in Cincinnati a couple years ago. Currently, Hamilton County is on the quarantine list and reporting sightings to the ODA is not required. Even though this is yet another new destructive pest it mainly affects certain trees and grapevines; the turfgrass can sit this one out. Spraying is recommended more for vineyards with this pest than golf courses. Click here for a BYGL article from Ohio State for more information!

Spotted lanternfly

 

As we move further into the fall season the grounds department will remain busy with aeration and eventually fall fertilization. This will be in addition to daily maintenance and course setup. Hopefully the grounds crew, and Bengals, will continue to rack up wins, improving the courses' recovery and Cincy's playoff chances. Go Browning!

Brad Piecuch

Grounds Superintendent