Thursday, April 12, 2018

Colorful Putting Greens

Anyone who has played recently has probably noticed the color variation in the greens.  All of the putting greens are a mixture of Bentgrass (Agrostis palustris) and Annual Bluegrass (Poa annua).  They typically have a blotchy or patch-like appearance this time of year, but the color variation is not an indication of poor turf health.  Bentgrass is the slowest to come out of dormancy, and tends to take on a darker appearance in the spring and fall.  Poa on the other hand is first to break dormancy, and is further differentiated based on whether it's a perennial or true annual biotype.  Similar to Bentgrass, the perennial biotypes tend to have a darker appearance, while the annual biotypes appear more lime green.  Some of what you're also seeing is old leaf tissue from last season, which makes the putting surface appear white or tan.  That tissue will be removed with each successive mowing as the plants resume their active growth and produce new tissue.  With a few more warm days, the turf will "wake up" and the color variations should be less noticeable.


Bent/Poa green with color variations normally found this time of year

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