Question
I live in south eastern wyoming. I work at the city cemetery. We watered very deeply just prior to a heavy freeze. The lawn is subject to travel by heavy equipment which means very deep rutting. My question is how heavy should you water prior to a heavy freeze under these conditions? The ground was so saturated that even the smallest of equipment caused rutting as well. Should this occur to provide a healthy turf?

Answer
I'm not sure I understand what happened.  Are you saying that your heavy equipment actually drove over the Grass, which was growing in Mud after you watered it, then froze, then you drove over it and there are tracks all over the place?

I just don't want to think this happened.  It's so bad for the Grass, I'm afraid.  Tell me I'm wrong, please.

The question you must ask instead is: How long should you wait after the ground freezes before you drive trucks over it.  Correct?

Excuse me while I get myself a Kleenex.

OK.  Where were we.  Oh, yes, you have a beautiful Lawn, and heavy equipment.

After you water Grass, no one should WALK on it.  I think that's clear enough now.

When you have a hard, very cold freeze like you guys in Wyoming are subject to, it may seem like it doesn't matter if you walk on the Grass, it may even seem like you can drive on the Grass.  But Grass is built so that its blades connect with the roots right above the Soil line, and that connecting point is critical.  It's the HEART of the Grass.  Damaging it enough will kill the Grass plant.

Now, I know this is impossible, given your line of work.

What you have to do is wait next time until the ground is frozen solid enough that it won't make any ruts.  It's not cold enough, and the Water was not drained enough, and the Soil was not dry enough to prevent that from happening.

Also, you must expect that as a matter of routine, every Spring you will have to repair the damage from the Winter traffic over the Grass.  Have the right Seeds and Soil on hand, ready to use, for that purpose.

No other way to do this.  Grass is Grass.  Not Asphalt.  And don't think you're the only one in the world who's done this.  People do it all the time.  Any questions?

THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER