Cooler weather is on the way for sure and our warm season turf will soon be brown. Though we may not be outside as much during the winter months and not notice what’s going on with our lawn, it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for certain issues that could cause a problem during spring green up.

WHY IS MY GRASS TURNING BROWN?

Cooler temperatures affect us all. I know I tend to stay inside more during colder weather and hibernate like an old grizzly bear. Grass goes into dormancy. It loses all is green color and turns light tannish to brown. It may look dead, but it is still alive. It’s just taking a nap until spring.

AVOID HEAVY TRAFFIC

While a dormant lawn can handle some levels of traffic and can tolerate being walked on, this should not be excessive. The heavier the traffic is on your lawn while it is dormant, the longer it’s going to take for you to see the vibrant, bright green come back when the weather gets warmer.

CONTINUE CARING

If your grass needs cutting, you can certainly keep cutting it, but you don’t want to cut it too short, it’s still a good idea not to let it get too long. Remember the longer the leaf, the more carbohydrates the plant can take in through photosynthesis and the healthier the turf will be in the spring.

DON’T BE IN A HURRY

Every spring we get call with customers thinking that their lawn should already be green. Well in truth, there are a lot of different factures that go into when turf will green up. Such as, type of turf, moisture conditions, sunny days vs cloudy days and the most important is Temperature. Warm season turf will not begin to come out of dormancy until night temperatures or consistently at or above 65 degrees Fahrenheit and daytime temperatures are at or above 80 degrees Fahrenheit on a consistent bases. So don’t rush it. Let nature do what nature does.

I’m Monty with Astro Turf And Ornamental and Thank you for reading!