As turf enters dormancy, the most strategic work of the year begins. December isn’t just a planning month, it’s when turf managers can have the greatest impact on winter survival, spring recovery, and 2026 playing conditions. While growth slows, your agronomic decisions now determine whether your surfaces emerge strong or struggle against winter damage.
Turf faces three major winter threats:
1. Crown Hydration Injury – During winter thaws, plants, especially annual bluegrass, may take up water. If a rapid freeze follows, ice crystals form and rupture crown tissues, leading to plant death.
2. Desiccation – Cold, drying winds and exposed conditions lead to moisture loss in crown tissues.
3. Poor Moisture Distribution & Water Repellency – Hydrophobic soils and inconsistent freeze/thaw cycles create unpredictable moisture patterns, resulting in localized dry spots, weak rooting and uneven spring green-up.
Late-season surfactant applications prevent soil water repellency, move moisture uniformly into the root zone, stabilize the crown environment, and reduce the risk of winter desiccation or crown hydration injury.
Aquatrols solutions such as Revolution, Vivax Oro™, Zipline, and Cascade Tre™, are designed to move excess water away from the surface and into the deep root zone, reduce the risk of crown hydration during mid-winter thaws, and maintain consistent moisture around the crown heading into winter
Temperature swings late in the fall disrupt the natural hardening process. Consistency is key for plant survival. Adding Envy™ to LeafShield® improves sunlight absorption, moderates temperature swings, and allows plants to harden gradually and properly.
If your course has low-lying areas on fairways that a prone to puddling, spot treating with products like Sixteen90 and Dispatch Sprayable can help move that excess water through the soil profile before freezing occurs.
Exposed turf, especially Poa annua, is vulnerable to moisture loss and tissue death during long, dry cold periods. Solarous™ blends chromatic reflective ingredients with surfactant technology to reduce UV and temperature stress, improve coverage and adhesion, and provide a distinct, enhanced surface appearance
Typhula blight (gray snow mold) and Microdochium patch (pink snow mold) are major threats during long periods of moisture or snow cover. When added to fungicide applications, Activo™ enhances performance of both contact and systemic fungicides.
Give your turf the best possible chance to survive winter and green up uniformly in 2026 with a December program that includes:
- Moisture management
- Temperature moderation
- UV and desiccation protection
- Disease enhancement with fungicides
Don’t wait until March to address problems that were rooted in December. Optimizing your soil environment with a final surfactant application is the most strategic step you can take today to protect your investment and ensure superior playing conditions when the new season arrives.
Contact your Aquatrols representative for a program that will match your soils and your goals for starting off the spring season strong!
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