Frost Inhibition on Turfgrass

Frost is a common problem for golf courses in the early morning hours in the spring and fall. Walking on frosted turf turns it a dark bluish color initially and kills the leaf tissue, eventually causing an unsightly appearance. The objective of this study was to conduct a series of experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of a recently introduced frost-inhibition product called FROsT-B-GONE (FBG) in preventing the formation of frost and subsequent damage to turfgrass. The material was studied at concentrations of 0,5, 10, 15, and 20% and applied at a rate of 1629 L ha-1 (174 gal. acre-1). The results of these experiments showed that the FBG compound was effective in preventing frost on a bentgrass turf used for greens. Application of FBG at concentrations of 10, 15, and 20% six hours before frosting conditions was consistently effective in reducing the occurrence of frost on bentgrass leaf surfaces. FBG also had a residual frost-inhibition effect when the sod was frosted a second time without re-treatrnent. The frost-producing technique developed in these experiments proved successful with herbaceous plants and may be used to prepare plants for cold-tolerance or satellite-identification studies.