Still all quiet….

We’ve had a long, cold spring this year and  disease has been correspondingly slow to respond.  Cool season root Pythium has been active in a number of spots but very little else has been observed.  Compared to last year (and the two before it), Southern Rhode Island is almost a full month behind schedule. Some locations are still seeing green-up just now and other locations in Northern Maine still have ice and snow on the ground.  The biggest issue I have seen this spring is winterkill and we have not had this much of it in many years.  In fact, some northern courses have recently stimulated winterkill/damage by removing covers too early.  Obviously, damage varies but areas with poor drainage, standing water and which had visible ice are going to be the hardest hit.  The only solution at this point is a lot of seed. Winterkill is not a regular phenomenon in Southern New England but dealing with it preemptively through site changes can reduce its occurrence even further.