Has the Cold Weather Affected Your Landscape?

This winter, we have encountered several nights of freezing temperatures in our areas of Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas and the cold temperatures aren’t over yet!

Here are a few tips from the Massey GreenUP experts on what to look for if you think your lawn and landscape may have been damaged.

• Grass blades that have turned brown from the tips of the blades downward within a few days of the frost or freeze.  This is particularly true of St. Augustine grass since it would likely be in a dormant state before the freeze.
• Shrubbery leaves that initially appear spongy and then eventually turn brown.
• More permanent damage may not be known until later in the year when spring temperatures return.  Based on the severity of the damage, the plant will either recover or it may not.  At that time, contact Massey Services for further analysis.

It is important to have patience and allow recovery to occur on its own.  Do not remove damaged foliage at this time as it will protect the plant for future frosts or freezes.  It is also recommended to not cut back foliage – this will stimulate new growth that could be easily damaged when the temperatures drop again.