While plenty of people try, it’s nearly impossible to definitively predict the weather, there are just too many variables. Given that this is the case, you should be prepared for a worst-case scenario in terms of sudden cold snaps and other types of early or late winter weather.
Protecting New Grass From Frost (The Short Explanation)
The best way to protect your lawn from frost is by using a temporary cover. This can be repurposed old towels and blankets laid over your lawn, or inexpensive plastic sheeting and shade cloth covering your lawn from dusk until dawn. This simple method should insulate your lawn enough during a sudden or temporary frost to keep it alive.
How to Protect New Grass From Frost (8 Things That Have Worked for Me)
Sudden, unexpected frost has now become fairly commonplace. Of the last five years, it seems like we’ve had a false spring during at least 3 of them. This can lead to grass seed that was planted over winter sprouting too early and needing a little extra care so it can turn into a lush lawn. Below are the 8 tactics I will use whenever there is a chance for an early, late, or otherwise unexpected frost.
Use Mulch to Cover and Heat Up Your Lawn (Make the Most of Compost and Leaves)
While you don’t want to smother any existing grass, a light mulch or mulch-and-compost layer can help keep seeds planted over winter in place and provide the protection new grass needs to survive through a light frost or two. However, if there is a true cold snap and the frost stays all day as well as all night, you may need to combine this method with another.
- Compost – I encourage anyone that wants a resilient lawn to sprinkle some well-rotted and finely-ground compost on their lawn before winter to help support your lawn. As it breaks down, this fine compost can create a little heat, making show and frost dissipate faster or have a harder time taking hold.
- Leaves – Yet another reason to let your leaves stay on your lawn or to mulch them where they fall is to boost insulation levels. Not only can leaves trap heat underneath when in their whole form, but the mulched form can also produce just enough heat while breaking down to save the smallest sprouts from a sudden frost.
- Straw – Does straw protect grass seed from frost? It can, somewhat, but not as well as other options like germination mats and row covers. Straw is a common addition to many newly seeded lawns and one that, in a thick blanket, can provide an insulating effect. However, if you lay straw that thick, you’re likely to be courting a mold infestation. Straw in a thin, scant layer can help insulate your lawn during a sudden frost, but it’s best combined with another material such as compost (mentioned above) or another tactic.
- Germination Mats – Germination mats, when somewhat new or mostly not-yet-decomposed will help insulate and produce a small amount of heat right on top of your new lawn, where it is needed to help prevent damage caused by frost.
- Coconut Coir – Coconut coir can help insulate your lawn. However, it is not as good as straw, germination mats, or compost as it is coarse, slow to break down, and simply doesn’t have the structure to be an ideal insulator. I’m mentioning it here more to let anyone using coconut coir to prevent erosion know that they may need to add an additional covering to keep their lawn safe from frost.
Install a Floating Cover or Use a Blanket to Keep Your Lawn Warm
If you’re wondering how to protect new grass seedlings from frost, a row cover is your answer. If you are setting up for a long freeze rather than a light frost, pick up enough floating row cover to blanket your lawn and any other part of your landscaping you want to keep safe. Floating row covers are used to extend the growing season of many crops and prevent frost from settling in and harming them.
These floating row covers are typically made of soft polyester and cover your lawn just like a typical blanket. However, the big advantage floating row covers have over a blanket is that they are gauze-like and sit lightly on top of the grass. Not only that but they allow enough sunlight through to be able to stay on top of your lawn even during the day so you don’t need to pick them up during the warm daylight hours if you expect several nights of frost.
Blankets are ideal in a pinch but should only be used an hour or two before dusk and should be picked up in the morning once the sun is up and the frost is melting. If you leave heavy blankets on your lawn for too long, you risk smothering it.
Invest in a Specialty Fertilizer
If you know that your lawn will likely be tall enough by the average first frost date but are worried that there will be an early frost, consider applying a winterizing fertilizer. These high-potassium fertilizers encourage even young grass plants to store more food and water, improving their flexibility in cold weather and reducing the chance that they will die during an early or unexpected frost.
Overseed Your Lawn
While this may not be the best advice for keeping your new grass free from frost damage, it is good advice if you want to keep your lawn free from frost damage. No matter which precautions you take, if the frost lasts long enough and your grass isn’t all growing at the same rate, it may show as patchy the following spring.
The easiest way to combat this is to overseed your lawn in the winter after the ground has frozen so that these seeds sprout as soon as the weather warms up in the spring with no delay.
Don’t Mow Your New Grass
Never mow a new lawn that has yet to reach 3 inches. Further, you should never mow any lawn if temperatures are below 40F as any grass will be dormant under these conditions.
Water Your Lawn Well the Night Before Frost
One often overlooked way that you can protect new grass seedlings from frost is by watering your lawn well the morning before a frost sets in. Keep in mind that this is only for seedlings. The more hydrated your grass seedlings are before a frost, the less likely they are to be damaged by that frost. However, an additional cover is still highly recommended.
Watering is not how to keep new grass seeds safe from frost. Grass seeds, unlike new grass seedlings, are more vulnerable to frost and freezing if they have absorbed excess water or even just the water they need to germinate.
Don’t Put Pressure on Your Lawn While It Is Frosted Over
Even grass varieties that thrive in colder climates and that are nearly guaranteed to survive the longest, harshest winters are still much more susceptible to physical damage while frosted over. If you have not made any of the above preparations and your lawn frosts over, the least you can do is avoid putting any pressure on it. This includes pressure from the paws and feet of pets and animals.
Set Up a Windbreak
A windbreak can help keep your lawn and new grass warmer than it would otherwise be. For example, during a blizzard, the wind chill can reach -40F while areas protected from the wind may only be 2F. That is a very big difference.
Even on an average windy night, a spot protected from the wind may be well above freezing at 40F, but a shady spot exposed to constant wind can reach temperatures about 10 degrees lower, putting these areas in danger of freezing and frost.
When is New Grass Safe From Frost?
When is new grass safe from frost? New grass is safe from frost once it reaches a height of 3 inches, as long as it is a frost-tolerant variety. Any cold-season grass is definitively frost tolerant. Several warm-season types of grass can also survive a light or brief frost. However, certain grass types like Bahiagrass and Bermudagrass are likely to take severe damage if allowed to freeze, even if they are well-established.
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