Studying the Effect of “False Spring” in Tall Fescue By: Florence Sessoms University of Minnesota
False spring events are an understudied effect of climate changes. These stretches (lasting a couple days to multiple weeks) of unexpectedly warmer temperatures in late winter or early spring followed by sudden freezing events (generally early April), result in important economic losses, especially for fruit producers. False spring events can also impact turfgrass species in a variety of ways: (1) turfgrass spring growth and establishment could be reduced leading to an increased incidence of weeds such as crabgrass, (2) increased soil erosion and nutrient leaching may occur because of poor root development, and (3) the turf could have lower resistance to summer stresses such as drought and heat. The University of Minnesota was awarded a grant from the Ontario Turfgrass Research
Foundation to study the effect of winter de-acclimation, as would occur during a false spring, on the freeze tolerance of turf-type tall fescue cultivars. We decided to focus this research on tall fescue because of its tolerance to wear, heat and drought while requiring less fertilizer inputs. The newly developed turf-type cultivars could be considered as a good replacement option for Kentucky bluegrass, especially in situations where irrigation is infrequent. Tall fescue is, however, known for its sensitivity to some winter stresses (snow mold and ice encasement) and little is known about its ability to survive freezing temperatures after cold de-acclimation. Therefore, our objective was to evaluate tall fescue freezing tolerance after short false spring 53
