Grass In Winter

When the weather turns cold, the grass observably changes and turns brown. When leaves lose their color they shrivel up and decompose. As the temperature goes down, grass goes dormant due to a process called desiccation. This process occurs in cold and windy areas such as Iowa. Cold wind causes the grass blades to lose moisture which causes the grass to give its brown appearance without decomposing.

• Is grass dead in the winter?

• What might cause the grass to get to this state?
• What does a plant; such as grass, need in order to live?

Students could: 

• Study the change of seasons. What type of changes occur during the winter, how does this affect grass/other plants? 
• Study the plant life and what plants need in order to live. Do an investigation to observe grass during the winter months and compare it to what it looks like during other months.  Have discussions about the changes noticed and why students think they happened.
• Discuss the process of desiccation and whether the grass is actually dormant.

• University of New Hampshire Extension:Dormancy: A Key to Winter Survival: This article for teachers explains science of plant dormancy.  
• Utah Extension | Is Your Grass Dead or Dormant?: This resource explains how to tell the difference between dead and dormant grass.
• Iowa State University Extension | Yard and Garden: How to Manage Garden Plants that Break Dormancy Early: This article discusses dormancy and what can cause plants to break dormancy early.