Localised Dry Patch is a common problem on greens in summer and it can take a while to conquer it. Could some of our traditional management practices be making it worse?
Applying more Nitrogen when these conditions are absent doesn’t necessarily produce healthier growth. It may create a quick response in shaded, wetter or less-stressed areas, increasing the contrast between healthy and drought-affected turf. It can also encourage the plant to produce additional leaf tissue that its reduced root system cannot support. More leaf area means more potential water loss, greater mowing demand and a further call on carbohydrate reserves that may already be depleted.
Many bowling green irrigation systems were installed to provide occasional supplementary watering rather than to replace tens of thousands of litres every week through an extended drought. Tank capacity, mains refill rate, pump output and sprinkler efficiency all become limiting factors. A typical perimeter system with one sprinkler position on each side of the green may require roughly two minutes of operation at each position to apply an average depth of 1mm. The precise figure should always be established using catch cans, because the quoted output of the sprinkler is less important than what actually reaches the surface.