Did Your Lawn Survive Winter?

By John Wilson

Extension Educator

With one cold blast after another and very little snow cover, many homeowners are questioning if their lawns survived the winter. We will have a better idea on the extent of winterkill as lawns start to green up with warming temperatures in the next week or two.
Green color at the base of old leaves may or may not be this year’s growth. It could be left from last year and may not be a good indication of plant survival. However, ½” or more of green leaf material on turf plants in our lawns is a pretty good indication that the leaf is alive and growing.
A natural response for many homeowners is to mow as soon as possible to remove that brown leaf material to speed the overall appearance of green-up. This dead leaf material is natural protection and insulation from potential Alberta Clipper cold fronts that still may blow through. This could be especially damaging to turf areas that are already weakened by winter. Therefore, our advice is to hold off mowing for another week or two to lessen the chances of damage from cold snaps.
Another consideration this year is when and where to apply preemergence crabgrass preventors. We normally recommend late April or early May for a first application followed by a second application in late June. That is even more important than ever this year. I know some people like to get out and make that first application in early April, or even as early as late March.

John Wilson

The reason it will be especially important to NOT do that this year is we don’t know yet if there are areas of the lawn that will need to be overseeded or completely reseeded. The products normally used for crabgrass control will also control or kill newly seeded turf grass seed. So wait to apply preemergence products until you know if you will need to overseed or reseed.
There is an option for crabgrass control in new seedings or areas that were overseeded. There is a product called Tupersan, which has the active ingredient siduron, that will control crabgrass but not injure new seedings of bluegrass or fescue. The two drawbacks to this product is it is not readily available, you will probably have to go to a garden center to find it, and it is more expensive. However, it is your only choice on new seedings to control the early germinating crabgrass.
Your other option is to wait until any new grass seedings have emerged and then apply the more commonly available products in mid- to late June. Once new seedings have emerged, the preemergence products will not affect the stand. The problem is, it will not control any crabgrass that has already emerged either.
One final consideration is whether to water your lawn now. Many areas have received light rains or snow, but this has been quite variable. Check the moisture in the top 6-8 inches of soil. If it is dry, consider watering on a warm day. Do this in the morning so it has time to soak into the soil… and only put on enough water so it doesn’t pool on the soil surface. Too much water that doesn’t soak in will form a layer of ice around the grass crowns and could further damage the turf.
For more information on assessing winterkill and repair of winter damaged lawns, check out the University of Nebraska turf website at http://turf.unl.edu or contact your local UNL Extension office.