Managing Under Drought
As water availability continues to be a major concern in Australia, water restrictions and poor water quality from alternative sources need to be addressed. Although nothing can make up for the lack of water, here are a few suggestions or reminders.
1) Prioritise the areas on the golf course that are most critical. Putting greens and tees may have the highest priority followed by fairways then roughs.
2) Water during times when evapotranspiration is the lowest. Watering during the middle of the day will result in significant evaporation of water not only from the turf but from sprinkler water spray prior to the water hitting the turf. Night watering has been reported to increase the severity of disease, however compared to water loss the potential increase in disease severity is minimal.
3) Water deeply and infrequently. Warm season grasses have a deep root system allowing them to absorb deeper. Deep infrequent watering also allows for a greater hardening off of the turfgrass plant. In some instances where hand watering is being implemented this may be difficult.
4) Bluish colored turf is a sign of wilting. Water when the turf needs moisture the most, which is at the first sign of wilt.
5) Where water quality or soils (high in sodium) are a problem apply gypsum. The combination of deep watering and gypsum should help remove some of the sodium from the rootzone.
6) Appling wetting agents to the turf can help the absorption and spread of water applied to the soil. In other words a more uniform wetting and drying can occur.
7) Minimise the amount of nitrogen applied while increasing the potassium. When fertilising droughty turf, increase potassium to enhance the traffic tolerance of the turf while minimise excessive nitrogen which enhances succulence.
8) Minimise traffic on dormant or droughty turf. Disperse traffic patterns from golf carts, turf equipment, and foot traffic to minimise wear injury.
9) Raise the height of cut. Raising the height of cut can help increase the root depth and also provide protection to the crown. In addition, a slightly higher cut turf is more tolerant to wear than a low cut turf.
10) Experiment with the use of plant growth regulators (PGR). Research studies with trinexapac-ethyl (Primo®) have reported lower water use rates by the turf with no detrimental affects to the plant. If you have never used a PGR like Primo consult your local distributor.