Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Parks Division Begins Annual Winter Rye Application

Did you walk around Town Square last weekend and think the grass looked abnormally short?

Don’t worry it’s not an optical illusion, and no, the landscaper did not make a mistake. What you’re witnessing is the Parks Division preparing for our winter rye application. The Parks Division uses rye in its Turf Management Program to preserve high-traffic grassy areas during the winter months when the warm weather grass is dormant. Think of popular public parks like the ones in Town Square.

When grass is dormant, it cannot repair itself if damaged. It’s, therefore, more suspectable to creating bare and dead spots during City events when coming out of its dormancy in the Spring. All athletics fields utilized during the cold months use this process to keep them looking sharp and minimize wear and tear.

On top of preserving the warm weather grass from severe damage, rye acts as an erosion-preventative technique. The rye grass provides an extra root system that grows and holds the soil together during the heavy downpours over the winter months.

The annual winter rye application is just one example of the Parks maintenance techniques the Parks Division utilizes to keep Southlake beautiful and a wonderful place to visit. Their goal is to ensure every park in the City is clean, green, and safe! We feel fortunate to live and work in a City that takes such good care of its green spaces.