I got back all the test results I was looking for the greens. The results confirmed what I thought might have been the problem - a little bit of disease and a lot of bad weather. We had some Pythium Root Rot, some Bacterial Wilt, and some Anthracnose but most of these could be found in just about any bentgrass green sample in the Mid-Atlantic this time of year. Our biggest reason for the recent decline of the greens is the weather. The heavy rain followed by extreme heat and humidity caused our bentgrass and poa to shut down. These conditions don't allow the plant to transpire and cool itself. It could be compared to heat stroke in humans when your body stops sweating, not allowing your body to cool itself.
When the plant is weakened by this occurrence it provides a window of opportunity for pests like diseases to flourish, even with all the preventive measures we take with our spray program. The best way to get the greens to recover is limit mowing and rolling, continue to provide nutrition that is readily available to the plant, stay on a curative spray program, and wait for some cooler weather - all of which we are doing.
Come on September!!!!!!
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