Frost damage for lawns
It is now mid-October and the time has come to talk about frost damage for lawns.The first time the weather report whispers the word “frost” a chill runs down the spine of Southern lawn/plant/garden owners.
Frost facts and temperatures to watch
Water in the blades of your lawn freezes and causes frost.This happens when the temperatures dip below 32 degrees.
29° to 32°F—tender plants are killed.
25° to 28°F—widely destructive to most vegetation.
24°F and colder—heavy damage to most plants.
Luckily for our region of the South, we don’t experience severe freezes very often.
“Will it damage my lawn?
A frosted yard may look damaged, but frost alone won’t really harm your lawn. If overnight, your lush green grass has turned brown, don’t panic.
A brown lawn isn’t dead, it’s dormant. We like to think of dormant grass as hibernating grass. Just be patient, it will come back to life this spring.
Don’t walk on the frosted lawn!
No one takes lawn and turf more seriously than a golf course.This video demonstrates the damage walking on frosted grass does to a golf course and why they have “frost delays”.
Three easy ways to prevent frost damage
In addition to keeping people off of your frosted lawn, here are three easy things you can do to prevent damage.
- Believe it or not, watering your grass the night before an expected frost will help keep your lawn warm and prevent damaging frost.
- Allow your grass to grow longer/taller than normal.
- If frost is expected, don’t mow. Freshly cut grass is more susceptible to frost damage.
We get comfortable in our warm fall season and may forget about year round lawn care. Don’t let all of the work you did this spring and summer get trampled on, protect your investment!
If you need help creating your best lawn and keeping it healthy and as beautiful as it can be year round, contact us here. Lawn and Pest Solutions has experience and success in maintaining your best lawn, turf, field or course.
