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From the MTGCSA President

from Tennessee Turfgrass - August / September 2022

from Tennessee Turfgrass - August / September 2022, page 6

From the TTA President

A Summer to Remember

As I sit here writing this article it’s the second week of August in Middle Tennessee and we are experiencing what I jokingly call a cold snap. Never would I dream that I would call a high of 88 and low of 72 in August anything but normal. As you all know it’s been an absolutely brutal summer. Extreme temperatures, drought, more extreme temperatures, and flooding in some parts just to put the icing on the cake.

A salesman told me the other day “Who the heck would’ve thought that August would be our saving grace.’ I personally have been tasked with the increasingly frustrating task of keeping bent grass greens alive. It’s funny how we don’t remember the easy summers but sure can’t forget the rough ones. I received a fun statistic from my local power company that said the total hours above 90 degrees for June\July were almost five times greater than that of last year. Just that statistic alone scares me as a superintendent. With temperatures like these, superintendents are bound to have more grey hairs. I personally lost more turf in a 2-day period than in my previous 11 years combined.

This makes you start think “What could I have done differently?” Sprayed more? Watered less/more? Solid tined? This summer will be permanently etched into my mind as one I never want to experience again, but I know will eventually happen again as the summers get hotter and hotter. We take the lumps as they come and take it a day at a time because this is the profession we chose. Deep down most of us love it because when it all comes together and the sun is rising it can be a beautiful thing. The good news is it’s August. The days are getting shorter and lord willing a drop in nighttime temperatures will follow. I know it’s not time to take our foot off the gas yet, but just maybe we can see a sliver of light at the end of the tunnel.

We have a meeting coming up in September at the course at Sewanee and I hope to see you all there. Best of luck to everyone in the weeks to come and stay hydrated!