Relentless heat and humidity

Hi,

I have a pile of turf and ornamental samples to get back to in the lab, so this will be quick.

Basically, heat and humidity continue to pound us. From what I've read, cool-season root growth pretty much ceases when 4-inch soil temps are >77. Our average here in Manhattan over the past 10 days is 84, with some spikes up into the 90's. So, we are hurtin'.

I know that some superintendents are feeling stress almost as much as, or worse than, the turf itself. Golfers, boards, and greens committees aren't always in tune with what Mother Nature is throwing at us. I was happy to hear that a few supers are using this national blog, and some of my K-State stuff that I send out here at home, to help explain things to their boards, etc.

Fairy ring is burning in some sites:




Brown patch is active in many sites, including in some fairway height Kentucky bluegrass at our research facility. That was a first for me. I snapped a photo but it did not turn out so great.


For any of you interested in the ornamentals side of things, I have a posting about crown rot of hosta and other bedding plants HERE

It's an interesting disease. The pathogen is very closely related to the one that causes southern blight in turf.