If you live on Colorado’s Front Range, you know that our weather patterns are anything but “normal.” Our warm dry days, low moisture, fluctuating temperatures, and intense sunshine can create problems for your lawns– ESPECIALLY newer lawns that have not matured and with full deep roots to survive a potentially harsh and dry winter.
Many people ask, “Doesn’t grass become dormant in the winter?”
While this is true, this usually does not occur until mid-November and during the winter months, our fluctuating winter temperatures cause the top few inches of the ground to thaw. When the soil warms above 40 degrees, grassroots start to grow, albeit slowly… and they get thirsty!!
In Colorado, we often get too little snow cover to provide this moisture for the entire winter. The typical light-fluffy snow does not contains little moisture content. Without supplemental watering, your roots could become weakened enough to die when stressed by warmer weather or disease. So even if your grass
is dormant, the roots still need some water to stay hydrated during the cold months.
“Won’t the water freeze at night and kill the grass?”
Cool-season grasses, such as Korby’s VorTex Hybrid Bluegrass Blend and Athletic Sports Turf Bluegrass Blend, are ideal for winter because they are freeze-resistant. So don’t worry about hurting the lawn. Freezing can be beneficial since it will disperse the water slowly when melting and it will freeze the good and bad “micro-critters,” preventing them from munching on the grass root system.
Be sure to water until your lawn goes dormant. Some lawns and plants don’t need winter watering. These include alternative lawns with blue grama grass and buffalograss, succulents, and cacti. They are native plants that are adapted to drying out during the winter.
If you haven’t watered during the winter– TRY IT!
We bet you’ll notice a big improvement in the Spring!!
