Weekly Garden Tip

January 22, 2006

By Gene Joyner, Extension Agent
Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service

Lawn care during the winter months must be maintained to keep lawns in good condition. Although grass is growing much more slowly now than earlier in the year it still is growing and must be irrigated regularly and weeds and other problems controlled.

If you see areas of the lawn that are turning purple or reddish in color, this is normal this time of year from our winter temperatures. When temperatures get down below 45 degrees red pigments develop in the grass blades and generally stay there throughout the rest of the winter until temperatures get back into the 70's and stay there and grass re-greens again.

Bahia sometimes has two thirds of the leaf blades turn purple from cold weather, while St. Augustine which is much more common only has about 1/3 to ½ of the leaf blade turning red or purple. Sometimes when we have periods of extended cold weather it looks almost as if you’ve sprayed some areas of the lawn with red dye. None of this hurts the grass and is simply a winter condition that will change once we return to warmer temperatures.

Some insect activity may be present during the winter months particularly insects below the ground like mole crickets or white grubs which chew on grass root systems. Since grass roots don’t grow as quickly and are not replaced as efficiently in the cooler months, damage can be much more extensive in the cooler season and the grass will take longer to recover in the late winter and early spring. Products for controlling these pests are available from local retail garden centers or you can have turfgrass areas sprayed by regular turf pest control companies.

If you have questions about turf maintenance during the cooler season, you can pick up some free information at the Palm Beach County Extension office or you can call them for advice over the phone. Dial 233-1750 in the north and central county area or 276-1260 in the south county area.