Turfgrass Blog #1: 2024 Edition
Clint Waltz, Ph.D.
University of Georgia Turfgrass Specialist
January 10, 2024
As this new year begins, weather continues to be weather
with impending cold conditions in January – imagine! Within the 7-day forecast the prediction is
for air temperatures to range from the low-twenties to low-teens from middle
Georgia to the piedmont. With spring
2023 still fresh on the minds of turfgrass professionals where warm-season
grasses were slow to grow, questions have arisen as the possible impact of the
upcoming “cold snap”. Within biological
systems there are few “absolutes” but considering the recent environmental
conditions, I foresee a minimal likelihood of damage to turfgrass from this
system alone. The warm-season grasses
have been dormant for over two months (first frost event for this season in
Griffin was November 2, 2023) and frost has been observed 6 of the first 10
days this year (i.e. January), with several being “heavy” frosts. Corresponding, 4-inch soil temperatures have
ranged in the mid-40’s. These have been
ideal conditions for dormancy – the cessation of growth due to internal and
external factors. Cold injury to
turfgrass is generally associated with cold and dry conditions. While the late fall and early winter were
dry”ish”, recent rainfall has been plentiful for keeping the growth points of
the grass plant hydrated. So, do
turfgrass managers and homeowners need to do anything to prepare lawns for a
January cold snap? Simply stated “No”. There are things not to do, however. Do not “freeze”, or irrigate, your lawn. For some crops (e.g. strawberries) short-term
freeze events can be mitigated by encapsulating the plant in ice. That may sound counterintuitive, but water
freezing is an exothermic (gives off heat) process. For it to work, irrigation must be continuous
until air temperatures rise above freezing.
This time of year, warm-season grasses do not have green tissue, or
fruit, to preserve with this technique.
Additionally, the excess water can do more harm to the turfgrass root
system by saturating the soil. This
applies to cool-season grasses, like tall fescue, as well. Lastly, there is no need to fertilize for the
forecast conditions. Currently, there is
minimal biological activity in warm- and cool-season grasses with low nutrient
uptake. Applying any fertilizer now has
a greater likelihood of leaching beyond the root system than being taken up by
the plant. Why spend money on nutrients
the plant will not use? Unlike last
year, the air and 4-inch soil temperatures this January have been cool and not
stimulated a premature green-up. Grasses
are fully dormant and resilient enough to handle some cold weather.
