MANHATTAN, Kan – Frosted green lawns are a part of autumn in the central Great Plains, where such cool weather-loving turfs as tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass are popular for home landscapes.

“In and of itself, frost on actively growing turf is no concern. Typically, it becomes a problem only if you walk or push equipment across the lawn before the frost melts. In that case, footprints or wheel marks will show up in the lawn later in the day. And, they’ll stay there,” said Ward Upham, horticulturist with Kansas State University Research and Extension.

Fortunately, the damage just affects grass blades. Roots and shoot-producing crowns remain unharmed.

“So, although the results are unsightly, they won’t kill the turf,” Upham said. “And, they should finally disappear after you’ve mowed two to four times or when the lawn goes dormant for winter.”

He said the experts’ best guess on why these “ghost” prints develop is that weight from a foot or wheel forces the frost’s ice crystals into the grass leaves, where they kill plant cells.