April Fools Not

It's shocking to see some of the Scrub Oak buds already beginning to swell and some are even pushing out leaves right now. This is crazy and a good 3-4 weeks ahead of when the Oak normally comes out. We all know this has been a far from normal March, It has been the driest on record and temperatures have been well above normal. The end result has been a fooling of the Oak and this is about to go into dangerous territory.

The forecast for the next several days includes snow and below freezing temperatures all which put The Oak and all other deciduous trees in danger of damage. Time will tell how they do.

A good Two Weeks Behind

We are now in the third week of May and just now is the Scrub Oak pushing out leafs.  Typically by the middle of May the Oak is fully leafed out, but not this year.  This year spring does not seem to want to consistently stay and this has caused the delay in not only deciduous tree leaf production but has also significantly delayed germination of seed.

During aerification the fairways were overseeded with Bentgrass which has just sat without even thinking of germinating.  Finally 35 days later I am beginning to see germination in the fairways as well as on some of the greens that had additional seed applied to them. Typically Bentgrass will germinate after 14 days in the spring with normal weather conditions.

This spring has gotten off to a slow start which hasn't help the overall recovery from the late season winter damage. Let's hope we start consistently warming up and get things actively growing so the golf course can be once again at its best.

Filling In

Many of the native rough areas and Scrub Oak that was damaged during the irrigation installation is making a strong comeback.

Much of the comeback has been fueled by the wetter than normal weather we have been experiencing all season. The timing could not have been better, because these areas of disturbance rely on natural precipitation for establishment and positive growth.

All of the native grass areas were reseeded with true native grasses that are very slow to reach mature height and densities. Most of the native grass areas will take as long as a season or two to become fully mature and blend in with the surrounding areas.

The Scrub Oak is also bouncing back in areas of disturbance as well. The Scrub Oak is a funny plant because it is incredibly fickle. If you try to transplant it most of the time it will not survive, but if blow through it with an excavator it starts coming back on it's own. The Scrub Oak areas will take the longest to comeback due to the sheer size (height) of some of the Oak that was damaged. Time heals all wounds and thankfully Mother Nature has been kind to us this year helping speed up the process.

Click on the picture below to see a close up

Leafing Out

Even thought the golf course has greened up, the grass has not yet started to actively grow. The growth of the turf coincides with the leaves of the Scrub Oak coming out. As I mentioned in any earlier post about phenological indicators, the Scrub Oak is perhaps the best indicator for when all plant materials at this elevation will begin active growth.