Sports Turf Agronomy Advice - June 2025
We head into June on the back of an extended dry period which has seen weather records smashed. March was a record-breaking month for sunshine hours, with above average temperatures and rainfall well below.
From March 1st to May 27th there were 630 hours of sunshine logged. By mid-May, we were experiencing the driest spring on record in over 100 years! With drought status declared in some areas and an impact felt in agriculture and on water resources. This was also felt within sportsturf management, with many reporting above average water usage, irrigation system issues and weaknesses regularly causing problems, and subsequently stressed turf that needed a management routine more typical of August than May.
Where water was not in supply, growth has been severely hampered and consequently so has any winter recovery from high wear areas. The break in the weather at the back end of the month should start to tip the balance towards good growing conditions, which will be welcomed by many.
Looking back at the figures from May, GP is now consistently above 75%, which puts it in the good growth category; although this figure is positive, obviously moisture is the limiting factor which is not taken into account when using GP. The low rainfall numbers in May, following on from previous months, means that there has been significant stress put on irrigation systems. With winter sports renovations well under way, ensuring these are operating at full effect is a key requirement.
Weekly nitrogen requirements are now above 3kg per week, although this needs to be balanced with the stress on the grass plant and its ability to grow under these conditions. GDD following the 0°C growth degree days model is now over 1,000 days; when applying PGRs, it is important to make applications in line with growth and stress. With a break in the weather, rainfall will likely kick start a growth response from the plant. PGR applications can help ensure consistency is maintained by keeping the clip volumes relatively similar daily.
Click here to review weather data in your region for May. To keep up to date with the weather throughout June visit https://academy.agrovista.co.uk/category/weather
The forecast for early June is for the unsettled weather that we have experienced towards the end of May to continue until the middle of the month. From here, they are predicting a more settled outlook. Temperatures remain good for growth with 25 days of 15°C+, with 16 of these at 18°C+ which will reduce the stress that the plant has been under recently. This will generate the much-needed recovery of those worn areas that have remained bare over recent months. To ensure consistency of surfaces after the prolonged dry spell, regularly checking moisture levels will allow for any areas that may have become hydrophobic to be identified. This will minimise the risk of having some areas that are visually recovering well whilst other areas appearing to be behind.
The recent high plant stress conditions can be a precursor for disease development and outbreaks. Anthracnose in fine turf is a key summer disease which can have devasting effects. Although it is a disease that most are fully aware of at this time every year, this has not been a normal spring and therefore it would pay to be on high alert. This means reducing stress on the plant where possible; keeping moisture levels under control to not aid the further development of any pathogens.
Anthracnose is triggered by stress factors such as low fertility, compaction, drought etc…Therefore, ensuring there is adequate fertility and soil moisture (not excessive) are ways to lessen the impact of these fungal pathogens by mitigating where possible any plant weakness which would allow easy entry. In southern regions of the UK, Dollar Spot is now becoming increasingly prevalent. The fungus prefers cool, wet conditions and activity is at its highest when night temperatures are between (10-21°C) and the relative humidity is above 90%. Looking at forecast predictions, conditions will be ideally suited to the development of this disease in June.
Like other diseases, extended periods of leaf wetness, which can be either from the humidity, morning dew or irrigation use, only allow further development of the disease. As with anthracnose, low nitrogen levels can leave the plant more susceptible. There is nothing more frustrating than managing surfaces through a challenging spring only to have all that hard work undone by a disease outbreak devastating surfaces and effecting performance.
Managing conditions in a proactive way to avoid creating conditions which are conducive for disease development will help to reduce the risk of an outbreak of both diseases; however, sometimes the climatic conditions create a perfect storm and regardless of all the things that have been put in place an outbreak is still likely. In these circumstances, a preventative fungicide can be applied ahead of high-pressure periods to reduce any infection to a minimum.
Pests
Those with historic Chafer Grub issues need to be monitoring activity in June. Once tracked, then the use Acelepryn, where authorised, at the right timing will help control population levels.
Tom Wood
B.Sc (Hons) | BASIS | FACTs