Most of us are familiar with the term Black Gold as another name for oil, and we may have heard of Blue Gold used in some quarters in reference to water. World news increasingly delivers stories of water being "privatized" or of political fights between those who would commoditize it and those who believe access to clean water is a basic human right. Without question, humanity is polluting and wasting water even as its need for water grows with increasing population. Thus, just as it appears that wars today are fought over oil, future wars may be fought over water (for an excellent treatment of this topic, see Blue Gold: World Water Wars, a documentary film, as well as a book, by Barlow and Clarke).

Agronomists generally do not play the roles of economist, diplomat, or soldier. We can, however, try to educate, and sometimes the topics we broach have large consequences. The use of recycled or reclaimed water is, I believe, such a topic. And considering the critical water needs of today's world, I would like to assign to recycled water the term Purple Gold, after the color officially used to designate all equipment contacting it. Having worked with this resource for over 30 years, evaluating its potential for turfgrass and landscape irrigation, I have witnessed its quality increase significantly. As quality has increased, both the value and the use of recycled water have also risen dramatically. I believe recycled water, already deserving of the name Purple Gold, will be recognized as such society wide in the near future. Already, in the face of increasingly common drought, habitat erosion, and the escalating cost of potable water, recycled water is the Purple Gold of urban landscape irrigation. In light of recycled water's importance, a review of its qualities and of the management practices needed to use it successfully is in order.  

Editor's note: In addition to discussing how water is recycled, this article includes excellent reference information for evaluating water quality as well as how well various turfgrasses tolerate salinity.

Chop block - Refusal to consider the negatives associated with trees. Turfgrass and trees together on a golf course always result in the larger plant winning. Tree shade removes needed sunlight, and turf and roots compete for water or nutrients. Often, trees require removal.

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North Central Region

by Bob Vavrek, senior agronomist 

December Dilemma

The temperature at ground level beneath a standard woven cover can reach the low 80's on a sunny day when air temperatures barely climb into the mid 40's. No doubt this can disrupt the natural hardening process of turfgrass during fall and the de-hardening process during late winter and early spring.

A few more courses try to protect greens with covers every time a region is affected by a severe bout of winterkill. Unfortunately, conditions for winter injury from ice suffocation and crown hydration have been quite favorable these past several seasons, so the number of courses trying covers for the first time has increased dramatically.

The top 'frequently asked questions' with respect to green covers for the first time user is the issue of timing. Superintendents that have little or no experience with covers want to know the optimal time to install and remove the protection. Experienced superintendents know this is a crapshoot.  

Why worry?  First, installing a cover too early may delay or reverse the turf hardening process. Temperatures will increase quickly under a cover during a few consecutive days of mild, sunny December weather, and this may encourage the turf to break dormancy. Similarly, mild weather during late winter can encourage early green-up and turf growth beneath a cover. This could make the turf susceptible to low temperature injury once the covers are removed.     

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Mid-Atlantic Region

by Keith Happ, senior agronomist   

Northeast Region

by Adam Moeller, agronomist   

Golf in the northeast has slowed significantly over the past week as frost delays are getting longer and darkness hits earlier each day. It's tough on anyone hoping to get in a few more rounds before the New Year. Traffic on frost-covered turf can be very damaging; although the delays may be frustrating, they are necessary to preserve the long-term health of the grass. Turf has gone dormant (i.e. stopped growing) at most courses in the region, so it's a great time to close the greens and direct play onto temporary surfaces. Traffic and subsequent thinning on dormant greens will not recover until growth resumes in the spring, which can ultimately impact spring and summer conditions. Playing conditions on the greens at this point are sure to be bumpy and inconsistent and often don't play much better than quality temporary greens anyway. Although the decision may be unpopular, directing play to temporary surfaces will lead to better putting green turf next year.  

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