During this time of year, we are often preparing for winter weather conditions such as ice, snow and colder temperatures. We bring out the ice scraper, shovel, hat, and mittens. Lawn care is at the very back of our minds, especially knowing it’s more than likely we won’t see our lawn until late March if we’re lucky! That doesn’t mean we should forget about it.
Below we’ve highlighted winter lawn care tips for you to keep in mind over the next few months. It’s important to know, during the winter your lawn goes into dormancy to protect itself, however, it can still be affected by the harsh weather.
Here are our valuable winter lawn care tips to help your lawn during the winter months:
Keep your lawn clear
Chances are there could be some leaves that have collected in the past few weeks. Piles of leaves on the lawn can sit and get wet, and as the leaves get wet they can invite disease pathogens. Be sure to remove lawn furniture and other items that may be left on the lawn.
Avoid heavy traffic
If there is a heavy frost on the lawn, be sure to avoid walking on it or allowing any equipment, such as a lawnmower, on the grass. This could cause permanent damage. Typically salt damage will be most noticeable once lawns come out of dormancy in early spring.
Winter snow cover on your lawn
In retrospect, a light snow cover is very beneficial to your lawn. It will act as a blanket to moderate soil temperatures and to protect the grass from the harmful effects of cold wind and ice.
We know you may have very few options, but we encourage when possible, avoid piling all the snow in one place. Excessive snow, specifically along the edges of the property, can be harmful to the lawn by causing snow mold disease.
Salt damage to your lawn
If you plan on using rock salt, try to minimize any of it from getting on the lawn because it very likely will kill the grass. Local stores do offer lawn safe ice melt which may be more expensive but recommended.
Salt does not damage concrete, but the effects of salt can. That sounds weird, so we’ll explain. There will not be a chemical reaction between salt and hardened concrete. However, lower the freezing point of water, attract moisture and increase the pressure of frozen water. Salt can also increase the freeze-thaw cycles if the temperature fluctuates between 15°F and 25°F. Concrete scaling can occur in the absence of salts too if there were problems at installation.
Hopefully, these winter lawn care tips will stay top of mind as we start the winter off and help keep your lawn in tip-top shape come springtime!
If you’d like to learn more about the lawn care programs that we offer in Western Massachusetts, please be sure to request your quote and allow us to partner with you in the care and health of your lawn.
