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Turfgrass Winter Damage

Turfgrass Managers throughout the Northeast are faced with many unique and challenging situations throughout any given season. The unpredictable weather of this region puts even more pressure on them to frequently make difficult decisions and perform daunting tasks which will affect the well being of their course. One problem in particular which regularly puts stress on golf courses and their superintendents season after season is known as winter damage.
Winter damage is a weather related problem which affects the chemical and metabolic functions of the turfgrass plant. The plants themselves, depending on variety, require certain temperatures to properly metabolize, grow and survive.   Cool season grasses require temperatures ranging from 64 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit for shoot growth and 50 to 64 degrees for root growth while warm season varieties grow optimally at temperatures ranging from 80 to 95 degrees for shoot growth and 75 to 85 for root growth. When the weather and seasons bring along temperatures that fall well below these optimum ranges, that’s when the potential for freeze injury comes into play.
Actual freeze injury can occur in plants when temperatures fall below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, however there are two types of freezing that can take place inside the plants which will affect them in different ways.   During an extreme drop in temperature, ice forms inside the cells causing what is known as intracellular freezing. This causes formations of ice crystals which can rupture membranes and cause cells to burst. It is more severe in areas of poor drainage and standing water because of the increased water inside the plant however, this type of freezing generally leads to the death of the plants.   On the other hand, when there is a more gradual drop in temperature, another type of freezing occurs, known as extracellular freezing. This type of freeze usually does not kill
the plants because it occurs between the cells rather than in them. This can...