Winter Update 3/10/15

 

 

As we change the clocks for daylight savings time and look forward to the 18+ inches of snow to melt, there are some concerns of how the turf held up through this tough winter.  While much of this winter was relatively mild in the beginning, the month of February was particularly brutal.

 

 As you can see the ice began to build up in mid January:

 

 

 

 

Then in February we had several snow storms on top of the ice, there is about 18-20 inches out there now: :

 

While the snow can actually be a benefit by covering and insulating the turf, the ice can result in catastrophic damage. Just like all living things the turf must be able to breathe in order to survive. Significant amounts of ice can hinder this process. As you can see there is anywhere up to 1 inch of ice under the snow:

 

 

One of the things we look at when we assess the possibility of ice damage is to take a good look at the type of ice that has formed. Generally speaking clear ice is worrisome because it indicates that there is not much oxygen and gas exchange going on. While cloudy ice is a great sign that the turf should recover without any problems. Notice the ice on the left is pretty clear while the ice on the right is full of air pockets:

 

 

The next step in monitoring the health of the turf is to take samples from the areas that have a possibility of succumbing to serious damage.  Those plugs are now brought inside to thaw out and receive ample amounts of sunlight:

 

 

We are hopeful that in a week or two these samples will begin to thrive and we will have a better understanding on the status of the turf's health.