What a difference a year makes. About an inch-and-a-half of snow fell last December 22 in Columbus, Ohio; and this year, the temperature in Columbus on that day was a balmy 57.
It has been pretty much like that since mid-autum and into the first couple of days of winter. With temperatures throughout much of December topping the 50-degree mark on 14 occasions so far this year and projected to be above normal through the first week of 2016, the phones at the Ohio State turf pathology offices of Joe Rimelspach, Ph.D., and Todd Hicks have been ringing off the hook from superintendents concerned about unseasonable disease pressure.
"You have to change your mindset right away," Hicks said in an Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Turf Tips video. "You're going to have to get away from the mindset that it's the end of the year, time to shut the doors, work on machinery, dream about next year and forget about last year. You're going to have to be more like our folks down in the transition area of the country. Where you're going to have to be concerned, maybe not on a weekly basis, but you need to be looking at your greens and tees and some of your other critical areas every week, every other week, something like that and checking to see what is going on out there."
This is not the year we put our feet up and forget about spraying anymore."
Warmer-than-average temperatures throughout late fall and into winter, Hicks said, means cool-season turf will continue. Those temps also usually mean rain, and the result is conditions that are optimal for diseases such as pink snow mold, dollar spot and even anthracnose as well as leaf spot, which typically is associated with spring.
"We're going to see some growth. It may be slow," Hicks said.
"But it's sooner or later going to catch back up with us. These 50- to 60-degree days and 40- to 30-degree nights leaves us wide open for a couple of pathogens, and they're usually big hitters."
Many superintendents and sports turf managers, Hicks said, are concerned whether their snow mold application made in November will now be enough to get through the winter and into spring.
"If you're worried now, go ahead and hit it again," he said. "Make sure you're not going over label, not only rates, but also limits."
He noted to make sure any offseason apps don't conflict with a summer spray program.
"This is not the year we put our feet up and forget about spraying anymore," Hicks said. "You're probably going to have to look at it up until spring if this weather pattern continues."
Others were concerned about whether to continue mowing and its effects.
"The concern is that if you're using products that are local penetrants or contacts, those are going to be removed with mowing," Rimelspach said.
"If it's growing and you can keep mowing without causing ruts or problems with soft turf, keep mowing as much as possible."