News from the MSU Landscape Alert

The big melt and your turfgrass

posted on February 14, 2011 10:36

Shoveling snow from poorly draining areas to help water quickly escape from greens could reduce the risk of winterkill injury

Kevin Frank, Crop and Soil Sciences

There was significant snow melting last weekend and it will continue throughout the week with high temperatures expected in the low 40's to near 50. Currently, the night time lows are forecast to be near or above freezing almost every night (except tonight), which should help the water keep moving and minimize ice formation.

As the snow melts, do whatever you can to facilitate water movement off putting greens to prevent overnight freezing and ice formation. Shoveling snow from poorly draining areas or shoveling channels or paths to help water quickly escape from greens could reduce the risk of winterkill injury. Melting snow and overnight freezing and ice formation is one of the times of highest risk for crown hydration winterkill injury on Poa annua putting greens.

Additional information on winterkill injury of turfgrass can be found at www.turf.msu.edu/winterkill-of-turfgrass.

Photo 1. A path is shoveled to let water drain and reduce the risk of winterkill injury.

Snowy Tree Protection

With Snowstorm 2011 just ended, most of us are thinking about the basics - digging out the driveways, sidewalks, and roads. We should also take a minute to stand up & rest against the shovel, and look around at our trees. The heaviest snow loads on their branches can cause some breakage. This is especially true of evergreens, with their needles that can help hold a lot of snow, and multiple-stem trees like birches, whose trunks are often a little less than vertical.

It can be important to remove the snow from the branches, especially the wetter, heavier snows. But be careful not to just knock it off with a broom - that can break branches, too. Upward strokes, gently shaking the branches is safer for the tree. A firm, gentle tap from beneath can jostle some of the snow from the tree limb.

Photo courtesy Joseph O'Brien, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org