Turf Talk With Dr. Brad

How Winter Conditions Affect Your Lawn in Spring

Shortened walks with the dog, half-drunk cups of hot cocoa, stay-at-home days for the kids, all signs we are in the firm grasp of Winter. The good news is Groundhog Day is just around the corner, a light at the end of the tunnel if you will. While I don’t put much stock in the phototaxis or predictive capabilities of a moderately sized rodent, a quick literature review would suggest it is relatively intelligent. However, this same literature review suggests Punxsutawney Phil, is only approximately 40% accurate since 1887. Not a score many parents would be proud of. I am a bit more modern, relying on the meteorological spring that starts on March 20 ^th . Although, this mentality doesn’t provide much hope of putting the shovel away in the next couple of weeks.

What does this have to do with lawn care? Very little. While spring green-up may be a distant dream, that doesn’t mean we should disregard our lawns altogether this time of year. We often use the term “dormant,” but your lawn is a breathing, growing organism, even in the bitter cold. Winter provides some unique challenges to our lawn, including wind, cold, ice and salt (ice melt). I don’t mention snow, as it provides necessary moisture for plant maintenance and acts as a blanket protecting the lawn from cold winds that dry out the plants and potentially cause long-term damage. Similar to Summer, in drought conditions, a brief irrigation event may be necessary, but only when the temperature is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit and only for a handful of minutes every few weeks. Keep in mind, we are not trying to green up the lawn, but simply keep the crown properly hydrated.

Over-salting of sidewalks and driveways also dries out the plant, causing permanent damage that will require reseeding in the spring. Your store’s shelves will advertise ‘grass-safe’ salt options. Keep in mind, no salt is safe for grass, but some chemical makeups pose slightly less risk. When necessary, salt should be used sparingly, for the safety of the grass and our drinking water. And if possible, use sand material instead. While it doesn’t possess the same ice-melt features of salt, it can provide grip and poses no risk to the lawn.

For lawns in the northern half of the U.S. snow molds, cold winds, snow and ice over the next few weeks will determine what our lawns look like in the spring. Try to reduce traffic and salt use on the lawn to avoid any long-term damage. Until then it is best to sit back and enjoy a cup of hot cocoa in front of the fire.

For lawns in the southern half of the U.S., many of you may be painting or overseeding your lawns to maintain color. Both are temporary solutions, but help avoid the barren brown color of winter.  Now is a great time to begin preparing our lawns with pre-emergent herbicides to battle pesky weeds that germinate throughout the spring. Spring green up is just around the corner.

I will leave it up to you whether you to tune up your lawn mower or snow blower in the coming days, or you can keep an eye on Punxsutawney Phil on February 2 ^nd to see how many weeks of winter we have left. Either way, before we know it, we will be back enjoying our beautifully green landscape of summer. 

who is Dr. brad?

Dr. Brad DeBels serves as the Vice President of Operations for Weed Man Lawn Care E3 Group.  Brad received a PhD in Soil Sciences & Turfgrass Management in 2013 from the University of Wisconsin (B.S. 2008, M.S. 2010, PhD 2013).  With a graduate degree & over 2 decades of experience in the residential lawn care & golf course industries, Dr. Brad provides direction for our programs & services while also creating a variety of educational pieces to help homeowners better understand their lawn & their lawn care services.