Mark Hunt’s Weather Assessment (Updated)
1st – 7th February 2010
Just a quick update - Last week, (see below), I noted that the temperature would be picking up through this week and this seems to have now settled into a pattern of milder weather, rain and wind, but much better temperatures with the jet stream kicking up high over the UK and Ireland allowing milder winds in below it.
The rain that falls will effectively remove the frosted layer that's down below the surface and raise the soil temperatures significantly to a point where we'll see a pick up of growth. Although it will be pretty windy, especially over the latter part of the weekend and early next week, it will definitely feel a bit milder. Winds will be as predicted last week, originating from the south-west, and this will bring rain to Ireland first on Sunday 7th, moving quickly west to most of the UK and then another band comes through next week around Wednesday 10th. The mildest spell of weather will be over the weekend, it will then get a bit chillier again before the next weather front moves in.
If you have moss kicking around on tees, now would be a great time to hit it with a granular mosskiller or, if you can time it right, a hit of soluble iron. Also, light rate granular applications will just move on greens that may be scarred from the winter outbreak of snow mold and in need of recovery. I realise that we're not out of the woods yet because it is still February, but this type of weather pattern is ideal to initiate a small amount of growth and pick areas up before the main season.
Expect a short-lived chilly blast over the weekend from the 30th and into the early part of next week as the winds turn round to the north and bring snow showers in to the east of the UK in particular. The further west you are, the less chance of snow and the lighter the wind, but it'll still feel very bitter. The intensity of the wind and cold will lessen as we move through the week, but in the east it'll still feel on the cool side right through. Ireland and the West of the UK will come under the effects of a primarily south-west wind, so a tad milder, but nothing to write home about.
Looking further ahead, the temperature should pick up from next weekend (6th/7th Feb) with the wind changing to a south-easterly / south direction, but no great shakes as we really need some mild low pressures to pick everything up significantly and it looks like this is a little way away yet. Traditionally the first two weeks of February sees winter at it's worse, so I don't think we're out of it yet. That said, the snowdrops are peeping through, my Hellebores are starting to flower and Robins are singing all night to protect their territory, so nature thinks it's round the corner.
Agronomically a few key pointers I've noticed on my travels; I've seen a couple of cases and had 5 -6 calls now where applications of Iprodione have been made straight after the thaw on Snow mold / Fusarium and, whilst it has achieved control to a certain degree, it's been nothing like as effective as normal with up to 40% of the patches still showing the dark halo and spreading outwards. I think this is probably due to poor uptake by the plant rather than anything wrong with the chemical choice. If you are in this position, stimulating a little growth with a foliar turf tonic (nitrate / ammoniacal N based) applied in low water volume (with an iron ideally) may well improve speed of uptake / efficacy of the chemical, rather than re-applying a fungicide. Fairways are showing quite a bit of moss so if this is well wetted up and you can get out on course, anytime from early to mid-Feb is ideal to apply sulphate of iron, with 20kg per hectare required on heavy infestations.
I know there is a great debate regarding cutting height in our industry at the moment but, as I have said before, the tradition of raising cutting heights over the winter seems to me less and less warranted. In arguably the hardest winter for a long time, greens have come through fine and dandy mowed at 4mm, rather than 6 or 7mm and, of course, when growth does kick off, there will be less differential between grass species at 4mm than there will be at 6mm for example, so surfaces will be less bumpy.
I've seen more disease after the snow thawed on higher height of cut turfgrass, than at a lower height. I accept it's horses for courses and one size hat doesn't fit all, but regardless of the actual measurement in mm, I don't see any detrimental effects from going through the winter at, for example, 4mm.
Mark Hunt
Technical Director
Headland Amenity Ltd
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