Anyone who has a lawn is being warned not to walk on it this weekend (Image: Getty)
Anyone with grass in their garden is urged not to walk on it this weekend.
Garden experts have issued the ‘keep off the grass’ warning after forecasts of another icy cold snap that will flash freeze Britain this Saturday and Sunday.
The says the UKHSA has issued a Cold Health Alert from Friday, February 7, until Tuesday, February 11.
With temperatures plunging, frost is set to hammer lawns in our gardens and freeze soil.
But few will probably realise how much damage walking on frosty or frozen grass can do.
:
Gardening experts at explain the damage that walking on grass in freezing conditions may cause.
Luke Dejahang, a expert at Crown Pavilions, says: “Avoid walking over frozen grass where at all possible in freezing winter weather.
“When grass is frozen, the water inside its cells has turned to ice. This makes the grass blades brittle and prone to breaking under pressure, such as walking across the grass. “Broken blades of grass lose their protective outer layer, leaving them vulnerable to further damage and disease.”
If your lawn or any grass area is heavily walked on during a frosty period, you can tell when the frost clears and the weather gets warmer. Heavily walked-on grass could leave lawns with uneven, discoloured, muddy, unsightly patches.
Graham Smith MCIHort, Lawncare Expert at LBS Horticulture, added that although it may be difficult, we should avoid walking on our frozen grass in winter. He said, “Prepare any nearby paths or driveways so that these can be walked across instead.”
But in cases where walking across your lawn is unavoidable, he urged: “Wait until the sun has begun to melt the frost and warm up the grass. You can also use a sprinkler to spray warm water onto the grass to melt the frost.”
Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: “While some areas will see showers or some patchy rain on Friday and through the weekend, there will be the potential for some sleet or snow as temperatures drop, mostly over higher ground in central and southern areas. The cold will be accentuated at times by brisk easterly winds.
“There will be variable, and at times large amounts of cloud over the coming days with the clearest and sunniest weather across the northwest of the UK. There will also be icy patches and overnight frost in places. Whilst, for most, the weather is not expected to be disruptive, keep an eye on the website for any National Severe Weather Warnings.”