NC State released a summary of turf samples they received in 2017. This is pretty interesting. When a superintendent thinks they have an issue on their greens, most will send a plug to a lab for diagnosis under a microscope by a plant pathologist. If the sample is sent over night, it’s common to hear the next day if there is a fungus affecting the turf. This graph shows the results of the samples they received...over 60% of the time there was no pathogen or fungus evident. This essentially means that superintendents can sometimes be our own worst enemies! For example, when we get into periods of excess cloud cover or excess rain, I’ve learned to back off aggressive maintenance on greens. If we plowed right through periods of poor weather with excess rolling, mowing and grooming, it’s probable the greens would start thinning. This thinning could be mistaken for a fungal disease even though it’s 100% manmade. It’s important to see the big picture when maintaining putting greens with extremely low heights of cut.
