The outlook from early June is there is a good chance the 2025 Summer will break hotter than normal, with an increased likelihood of heatwaves.
Read all they had to say on the matter here.
Hopefully we get a good mix of rain to help us recover from the Spring drought and can keep away from the agronomic knife edge.
For those on the fence about being in a quality wetting agent program, jump down quick, the benefits are clear in a normal year and exaggerated in a hot year where evapotranspiration levels will be elevated, and the situation can change rapidly.
The Met Office article is quick to mention that a hotter than normal summer doesn’t mean no rain.
And may result in more intense Summer storms – bringing rain, just in big lumps unfortunately.
So make sure you have your wetting agent in the ground ahead of big rain events; to maximize moving it from the surface, but also holding on to it after the rain has past.
The Turf Health trials this season are continuing to look good, with something I’d not thought about before showing at all three sites.
(catch up on the previous installment here)
Recovery from aeration and OM removal works is looking stronger in the treated areas.
We’ll continue to monitor this aspect throughout the season, but getting surfaces back to smooth and true is always a priority of golfers in the early season.
You can see in the photo below and the one at the top of the page that the holes are covering over much better in the treated areas.
Watch out’s moving forward:
- Higher temperatures can lead to earlier and faster onset of summer turf diseases
- High ET rates can catch turf health off guard
- Contingency plan for limited water supply late season
Fingers crossed it’s just a ‘normal season’ not sure we’ve had one of those for a while, but we can hope.
