▼

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Mysterious Turf Color

Tony Koski, Extension Turf Specialist

 While walking across campus a few weeks ago, I noticed the unusual turf coloration along sidewalks throughout campus. 


















Wondering what our faithful blog followers might think the cause of this turf discoloration to be? Is it anything to be (potentially) worried about? I know it's covered under many inches of snow right now - which I barely escaped by leaving for San Antonio around noon on Saturday (it was 81 F when I landed).

I'll post the cause of this mysterious discoloration in a few days. Please post your guesses below!
at

19 comments:

  1. UnknownFebruary 23, 2015 at 9:21 AM

    Hmm. Although it looks like tire tracks from the snowplow, I'm going with salt. Or at least a deicer.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tony KFebruary 23, 2015 at 9:24 AM

    Good guess Wanda. A very logical one. But it's not deicing salt injury. Hmmmmm....

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownFebruary 23, 2015 at 9:40 AM

    Possibly damage by mini sidewalk plows? The damage appears to be uniform on both sides.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AndreaFebruary 23, 2015 at 9:58 AM

    Because it is uniform, it could be a sprinkler (water) problem where the water reaches everywhere but the sides of the grass?

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousFebruary 23, 2015 at 10:01 AM

    I'm guessing that mites wouldn't leave that uniform damage, so I have no good guess. Looking forward to reading the solution to the mystery.
    Karen Hallberg

    ReplyDelete
  6. JanaFebruary 23, 2015 at 10:03 AM

    It looks to me to be from snow/ice having built up there for a long time due to plowing on those sidewalks. That grass hasn't seen the sun for awhile.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Peg HeimbrookFebruary 23, 2015 at 10:37 AM

    It's possible that the grass adjacent to the sidewalk got heated enough to break dormancy (or stayed active longer last fall) and then suffered frost damage when the temperatures dropped. The left side damage is wider than the right side and both exactly parallel the walkway. Probably the left side faces south and gets more sun; notice the shadows from the trees.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Phyllis JachowskiFebruary 23, 2015 at 11:50 AM

    I'm guessing damage from ice buildup....
    will be fun to see answer to this one!

    ReplyDelete
  9. UnknownFebruary 23, 2015 at 2:42 PM

    Could it be edger damage? A weed eater trimming too close?

    ReplyDelete
  10. UnknownFebruary 23, 2015 at 3:54 PM

    Ok, I'm back. One more thought is that the grass has overgrown the sidewalk on both sides so that what looks like grass on dirt may actually be grass overgrown on concrete. I have no idea why someone would trim grass to overgrown in that manner. But i see homeowners with trim overgrowth on my walks. (Ok, along my front walk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownFebruary 23, 2015 at 3:58 PM

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. UnknownFebruary 23, 2015 at 4:07 PM

      Maybe not. Is edge more shallow? So maybe lack of drainage is causing water/ice buildup? Hmm..final answer..maybe.

      Delete
  11. PepperFebruary 23, 2015 at 5:30 PM

    Is the damage from using IceMelt?

    ReplyDelete
  12. UnknownFebruary 23, 2015 at 5:38 PM

    It's from the tires on the truck that's clearing the snow from the sidewalk!! Final answer.

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousFebruary 23, 2015 at 7:15 PM

    Glyphosate?

    ReplyDelete
  14. UnknownFebruary 24, 2015 at 7:27 AM

    James Johnston, I bet you are right!

    ReplyDelete
  15. UnknownFebruary 24, 2015 at 7:28 AM

    Can someone tell me why my posts say "Reply Delete"?

    ReplyDelete
  16. UnknownFebruary 24, 2015 at 9:29 AM

    I would have guessed ice melt injury, but perhaps it was damage from a sidewalk plow.

    ReplyDelete
  17. AnonymousFebruary 24, 2015 at 2:04 PM

    I think it's the result of a sidewalk snow plow that pushed the salt laden ice/slush onto the grass.

    ReplyDelete