“Clear skies overnight, so It’ll be crisp and crunchy underfoot in the morning.”
It’s the classic way for a TV or radio weather forecaster to let you know there’s frost on the way. Looking out onto your crisp, white lawn, glistening and glinting in the first cold light of dawn, it can be hard to decide if it’s a good sign or bad.
We believe there is a real positive effect brought about by frost, which is to help toughen up the grass plants that make up your lawn. As the cells within the grass plants become accustomed to being frozen, so the roots are encouraged to strengthen. Grass is generally robust and if left to its own devices it will resist the damage which frost can cause to other plants. The biggest problem likely to be faced by a frosty or frozen lawn is human intervention, in the form of us walking on it. Please do not walk on your frosty lawn unless you really have to.
Why should I not walk on my frosty lawn?
Like everything else which has been frozen, the grass in your lawn will become brittle. When you step on this brittle, delicate grass it will fracture the leaves. The effects of these ruptures take a great deal of time to mend, as anyone who has waited months for the winter footprints on their lawn to disappear will attest! Your lawn’s recovery can literally take months, so do try to avoid treading on your lawn unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Whatever you do, try not to walk on that crisp, frosty lawn!
Can I mow my lawn when it’s frosty?
Absolutely not, mowing a frosty lawn is a real no-no. Picture the damage you can cause when you’re…
A) Trampling on the frozen grass blades
B) Rolling a lawn mower over it, and
C) Cutting the blades of grass which you’ve just fractured by walking on it AND running the mower over it!
It’s a recipe for widespread carnage!
Can I put treatments on my lawn if it’s still frosty?
Again, absolutely not. Lawn treatments such as fertiliser and herbicide are dependent on ground temperatures which are higher than our winters will provide, so treating a frozen or frosty lawn will certainly not work and may well cause damage to the grass. Whilst we do apply moss treatments in wintertime once the morning frost has lifted, we always wait until spring before treating lawns with fertilisers or herbicide.
Brrrrrrrrr! This lawn is too cold for lawn treatments
Should I be worried about Frost Heave?
Frost Heave occurs when the moisture in the soil freezes, and the name refers to the upward swelling of the soil being pushed (or heaved) by this frozen water. After sustained periods of sub-zero temperatures, extreme cases can leave humps and cracks in the soil due to the expansion of the frozen water causing it to burst out of the ground. You may well have seen damage caused to pavements and even roads due to Frost Heave. When ground temperatures rise again, soil disturbed by Frost Heave will often settle back on its own, but if your lawn suffers a particularly severe case, you can help it with a gentle rolling or lawn top dressing to smooth out the surface. This would have to wait until springtime though, to allow the temperature to warm sufficiently.
If you find that the damage is too severe to be rolled out, a repair using fresh turf is a good solution. Our sister company, The Lawn Store, offers high quality turf in a small lawn turf repair package. These packages are available here: www.thelawnstore.co.uk , and enable the repair of damaged areas using the most appropriate high quality turf.
On the other hand, you can always Contact Us for a free, no-obligation survey if you feel that Jack Frost’s efforts have left your lawn needing professional help.
