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Golf

Winter dormancy

The warm season turfgrass show this special physiologic mechanism. After the first freezing dates (temperatures below -1ºC, -2ºC) in winter, the plants become dormant; they stop their metabolic activity. The plants green up again early in spring.

When the lawn turns dormant, its colour becomes golden such as straw. The length of this dormancy period depends on the climate in the planting area. In tropical or subtropical climates, there’s not winter dormancy. In Mediterranean climates, dormancy can make the plants to loose 20%-70% colour for two – three months.  In continental climates, dormancy is 100% for 5 months.

Management

Dormancy looks like a disadvantage, but under another point of view, it can help for an economic and easy turf management.

• Vegetable kindong, change their aspect in each season. So the grass can do.
• Along the dormancy period, turf maintenance cost almost nothing: no irrigation, no treatments, no mowing, no fertilazers).
• It’s possible to play golf in winter dormant Bermuda or Paspalum. The surface is firm, strong and uniform. The club enter into the dormant grass smoothly.
• They show a nice golden colour in contrast to other plants in the landscape.
• Most of the golf courses in Southern USA (Florida, California, Nuevo Mexico etc) are planted with dormant warm season turfgrass.
• It is possible to mask the dormancy, overseeding with Lolium perenne or Poa trivialis. So the grass surface remain green all over the year.

Period

Dormancy period depending on the geographic area in Spain.