By coincidence, just about a year ago I wrote about aerating your lawn after snow and ice. I thought it appropriate to link back into the archive because it is as relevant now as it was then.
With such heavy snowfalls it is quite understandable that children (and adults) will be wanting to get out in the garden, the local park or public playing fields and make snowmen and generally have some fun.
All the time, under their feet, the root-zone of the grass is taking a pounding and being compacted.
When the ground is extremely frozen I believe that there is not too much cause for concern if foot traffic should run all over but when there are signs of a thaw, and as the surface softens, lots of feet will damage the soil structure leading to poor aeration of the turf and making recovery during the spring months slow.
A lawn that cannot breath and is slow to recover may suffer for the rest of the year making other maintenance procedures difficult to accomplish and less effective after their execution.
Sports turf managers are faced with the dilemma of keeping their facility in tip-top conditions but also justifying any closures to members or fans.
Kevin Munt gives some straight advice to greenkeepers who are thinking of opening their course and letting members play on frosty greens - don't?
Kevin says: "A propriety club I consult at were closed for nine days straight earlier this month due to the severe frosts, a hard financial decision to take but without any doubt the right one.
"It is often difficult to have just one policy on dealing with course closure in times of frost, as the type and severity of frosts are so different.
"Also the most dangerous time is when frost is leaving the ground and the top say 12mm is thawed out making the greens look playable to the membership."
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