Even the lawn you buy to plant in your garden could be dormant and brown, but it can still be installed sooner rather than later. With proper care, watering and soil maintenance, you can successfully install grass on your lawn and it will turn into a beautiful green when the downtime is over. Inactive warm-season grasses are brown, but not dead. Lawn is “hibernating” until warm weather indicates it turns green in the spring.
Cold weather causes latency in lawns. The warm-season grasses we use for our lawn (St. Augustine, centipede, bermuda, zoysia) grow slowly in the ground below 70 degrees and stop growing at around 60 degrees. Without growth, newly laid grass will not produce a new root system, and rooting is the measure of the establishment.
The risk of frost damage from an extreme cold spell is higher for grass that is not well rooted. Cool-season grass (Tall Fescue, Kentucky Bluegrass, Fine Fescue) can be installed year-round throughout the United States. They are more used to cool weather and can tolerate planting in the middle of winter. If installed in the middle of winter with freezing temperatures, the lawn could remain dormant at the top of the ground and resume growth once the weather warms in March.
This brief winter latency in cold-season pastures is normal in the northern part of the country. If you have been struggling with an uneven lawn that is full of weeds and is resistant to receiving grass seed or other treatments, you may have decided to dig it up completely and start over. Lawn in the fall is one of the most effective ways to get even and full coverage on your lawn. If you've gone to this extreme, you'll want to make sure the grass reaches your lawn and survives through the first winter, especially if you're laying grass in the fall.
You can help ensure this happens by preparing the lawn for wintering. If the weather suddenly heats up after installing the lawn, it might be a good idea to check that the grass stays wet every day. Many homeowners and even some professional landscapers are hesitant to lay grass during the winter while the lawn is idle. For example, if a golf course or playing field needs to be ready for spring, the idle lawn will start the lawn establishment sooner.
Successful winter lawn placement also depends heavily on the type of grass you are installing, as well as the geographical location of the installation site. Sod Solutions works with private breeders and university researchers around the world to find and market the best herbs with the best genetics on the planet. Contrary to common belief, laying grass in winter is one of the best times to plant grass in certain locations in the southern United States. The area being covered should be properly level and lightly tilled, with no litter, rocks, or weeds on the grass bed.
Sod University discusses the benefits of installing warm-season lawns in winter, such as zoysia, bermuda shorts and St. Be sure to set the lawn mower you use to remove the grass to a higher setting so you don't remove as much dirt. Lawn plugs are a great tool for repairing damaged areas of the lawn or for establishing a lawn when grass or seeds are not available or impractical. As winter approaches, you'll want to start mowing your lawn once it's established and ready, lowering the mower blade each time until the grass is at the desired height.
If you follow these tips after installing your lawn in winter, your warm-season lawn will turn very green in spring. You can see a forklift that takes the lawn to different locations throughout the property for added convenience, while installers grab the grass and place it on the ground. .
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