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• July Weather - North-South divide for rain

The UK is becoming a more divided nation, when it comes to weather patterns. This year rainfall across the country has been somewhere near average, yet that masks the fact that whilst southern and eastern England has parched under baking drought restrictions, the north, west and Scotland have experienced damaging wet and wild conditions.

And over recent years, July has been the month when the most extreme variability in weather, creating the most challenging conditions for turf management. A review of weather highs and lows (Table 2) highlights that in the past decade the UK has experienced extremes of both the wettest and the warmest conditions on record.

The past four years have seen average July rainfall exceed 100 mm, with last year's 107 mm more than 50% above the long-term norm (Table 1). Some regions suffered especially badly, with north Wales and north-west England recording 160 mm - more than double the average rainfall and with significant rain on 17 days over the month. South-east England, by contrast, had over 40% shortfall, with just 26 mm of rain over six days.

July temperatures have been above the long term average in 13 of the past 15 years - peaking over 3°C above the norm in 2006. The combination of wetter and warmer weather has raised problems in physically undertaking turf maintenance operations, along with keeping on top of mowing, whilst the incidence and severity of pest and disease attack have increased. 

Keeping turf growth regulated with Primo Maxx applications over the summer can ease management issues of continual mowing, and help retain root mass to promote healthier growth. Plants in regulation mode are better able to cope with weather induced stress and recover quicker.

If it does turn out to be hot and dry this summer, regulating turf growth before a period of drought can improve the plants efficiency of water use and reduce the need for irrigation by up to a third. It also enhances the plants' photochemical efficiency by 75% under drought conditions, whilst retaining greater chlorophyll concentration in the leaf to stay greener for longer. 

Nutrient deficiency

Over recent seasons the consequence of excessive nutrient leaching caused by high July rainfall has highlighted the problem of deficiencies whilst turf is still actively growing. Nutrient imbalance also increases the risks for Dollar Spot, Take-all and Anthracnose that typically peaks in July.

Local forecasts of high disease risk periods on the free web site www.greencast.co.uk will help turf managers time applications of Heritage Maxx, Headway or Instrata more effectively to counter Anthracnose and other diseases.