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The expanding spring and fall seasons are forcing superintendents to do some innovative fiscal calisthenics so they have the products they need throughout the season while still making their budgets work.
“In the fall, people’s budgets are stressed and they start stretching their application intervals and they get caught,” says Penn State University turf professor John Kaminski. “When the resurgence occurs sometime in August or September it takes off and it’s really difficult to control once you have a severe outbreak.
“There is a lot of thought that … something different is happening in the fall,” he adds. “I’m not sure I believe that, I think it’s just a change in maintenance practices. Budgets are spent, people are tired and with the extended season they wind up extending their intervals to the point that they get caught behind the eight ball.”
Superintendents should factor extended seasons into their budget planning, Kaminski says.
“When you start doing budget planning for the next year, anticipate that seasons seem to be getting longer or that there is high variability in what you need to do during the season,” he says. ““Adjust for that in your requests, in terms of fungicides… and insecticides, too. What may have been a $100,000 program typically may be now, because of the problems we’re seeing, be a $120,000-125,000 program. It’s a tough battle to sell.”
It’s important for club presidents and green chairs to be aware of the realities of what their superintendents are dealing with, Kaminski says
“The seasons do seem to be prolonged or extended on both sides," he says. “The shoulders of the seasons seem to be longer which means you might end up with two or three additional required sprays. Unless the club wants to lower their standards or thresholds for these particular diseases, they’re going to have to budget for those additional sprays.”