The weather before the Christmas season can sometimes be a cause for concern among turf managers. If we get a cool fall and temperatures gradually dip to below freezing and stay there, the grass generally has ample opportunity to acclimate itself and harden off. The fall in Edmonton
The Petroleum Club has two varieties of grass on the putting surfaces; Poa annua and bentgrass. Of these, Poa annua is much more susceptible to ice damage. In some university studies bentgrass has been shown to survive up to 120 days of continuous ice cover. Poa annua is considerably less suffering injury after as little as 60 days and severe loss in 75 days (Beard, J.B. 1964. Effects of ice, snow and water covers on Kentucky bluegrass, annual bluegrass and creeping bentgrass. Crop Science 4: 638-640). Most commonly, this damage is due to the buildup of toxic gases (CO2) and the development of an anaerobic environment beneath the ice. At the time of this blog we are experiencing ice cover on both types of grass on our putting surfaces. The constant mild temperatures and freezing rain are both contributing to the ice cover we can see. The potential exists that the ice cover on the Poa annua greens may cause significant damage by the time the ice cover melts in the warmer spring temperatures.
Because of the risk of damage, we have experimented with a few ice removal techniques and will see the results in the spring. We have tried a shallow aeration to shatter the ice cover which resulted in a high number of small holes in the cover but did not appear to shatter the ice. We also attempted to use a small scale tent to melt the layer of ice and remove the water but this method required an extended amount of time to heat the tent so the temperature at the ice was high enough to melt it. There are no foolproof ice removal methods and what works in some situations rarely works in others depending on location and topography of the green among other factors. It is therefore important to continuously monitor our greens through the winter as well as ensure that we maintain a healthy nursery to replace turf if we do experience loss in the spring.
The Petroleum Club has two varieties of grass on the putting surfaces; Poa annua and bentgrass. Of these, Poa annua is much more susceptible to ice damage. In some university studies bentgrass has been shown to survive up to 120 days of continuous ice cover. Poa annua is considerably less suffering injury after as little as 60 days and severe loss in 75 days (Beard, J.B. 1964. Effects of ice, snow and water covers on Kentucky bluegrass, annual bluegrass and creeping bentgrass. Crop Science 4: 638-640). Most commonly, this damage is due to the buildup of toxic gases (CO2) and the development of an anaerobic environment beneath the ice. At the time of this blog we are experiencing ice cover on both types of grass on our putting surfaces. The constant mild temperatures and freezing rain are both contributing to the ice cover we can see. The potential exists that the ice cover on the Poa annua greens may cause significant damage by the time the ice cover melts in the warmer spring temperatures.
Because of the risk of damage, we have experimented with a few ice removal techniques and will see the results in the spring. We have tried a shallow aeration to shatter the ice cover which resulted in a high number of small holes in the cover but did not appear to shatter the ice. We also attempted to use a small scale tent to melt the layer of ice and remove the water but this method required an extended amount of time to heat the tent so the temperature at the ice was high enough to melt it. There are no foolproof ice removal methods and what works in some situations rarely works in others depending on location and topography of the green among other factors. It is therefore important to continuously monitor our greens through the winter as well as ensure that we maintain a healthy nursery to replace turf if we do experience loss in the spring.
Winter conditions are constantly changing from one year to the next and spring course conditions vary accordingly. Ideally, we hope to have a healthy, hardy grass plant, covered and protected by snow and temperatures that remain consistent and relatively cold to avoid and winter melting events. Alberta
As always, any questions can be directed to the Maintenance Department at the Petroleum Club.
As always, any questions can be directed to the Maintenance Department at the Petroleum Club.
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