Keep Heat Tracking Damage Off Your Lawn

Heat tracking damage on lawns

Recently, I have received quite a few calls and pictures from customers inquiring about tracks in the turf that appear dead and if the damage was caused by mowing or a fertilizer application. Typically, fertilizer does not cause the issue. It’s the equipment used to apply the fertilizer or the mowers used to cut the grass that creates the problem. The damage occurs when the turf is starting to wilt, and traffic is put on it. Anything you drive over the turf when it is wilting will cause heat track damage.

The condition of the turf is the primary key to the cause of the tracks forming. When a lawn is entering drought stress, it may still be green, but the stress is already starting. The weight of the machine riding over the lawn bends and breaks the leaf blade. The leaf blade is no longer able to stay green, and it turns brown as it dies off.

Avoid damage by mowing or fertilizing in the cooler part of the day or move the application or mowing to a later date. The good news is the grass blade is just damaged, and the grass plant is not dead. The turf should recover in about two weeks.

Heat tracking damage can also cause diseases to spread in the turf.

The picture below is a lawn showing drought stress and leaf blight. Ascochyta leaf spot symptoms develop during hot, dry periods. The disease can look like large, irregular patches of straw-covered grass and appear dead. It can easily spread after mowing or fertilizer applications.

The cut grass and damage from the tires on the drought stressed turf makes it easier for the disease to spread. Luckily, the crowns and roots of the turfgrass are not affected and should recover in 2 or 3 weeks with cooler temperatures and rainfall.

You can help manage leaf blight damage by following a few cultural practices. A yearly aeration program will help reduce thatch and improve water penetration. Mowing at or above 3” and mowing less frequently will also help. Try to stay off turfgrass when it shows signs of drought stress and wilt. The easiest way to determine whether or not turf is wilting is to walk across it. If you notice that your footprints don't bounce back right away, this shows the plant is under drought stress.