Spring Warm up...

The week ahead is looking like a nice warm up for HCC. There is a potential of us removing our greens covers in the near future. Our typical criteria for removal is a consistent forecast of above 5-6 C as a high and above 0C as a low. "Consistent" is the focus here, the current forecast follows this criteria to say the least. One of the major reasons for us removing covers this spring is plant protection from fungus. Every fall prior to covering and snow cover we apply a very high quality winter fungicide with the anticipation that it will last 4 months. This has always worked very well for us, in a cold, snow covered winter. Last fall we experienced a warm, snow free 6-8 weeks after our covers were installed. Couple those conditions with the very unseasonal warm thaws that we had this winter, the degradation of our fungicide is heightened. The longevity of the product is compromised under such conditions. Once we remove the covers, we will allow the greens to dry out and firm up (with a roll) to the point that they can take an application with our sprayer. Due to the weight of the sprayer filled with water and product, we will apply the product in a number of smaller, lighter tanks. This will ensure a disease free turf stand, ready for the season. We will be leaving the covers out on the golf course in close proximity to the greens in case the temperatures begin to drop dramatically, therefore requiring re covering.