Tips To Avoid Winter Lawn Damage
Many people look forward to spring, when the first flowers begin to push up through the soil and the grass finally returns to its green glory. Unfortunately, spring can also reveal some unwelcome surprises when it comes to your lawn. Damaged grass, frost heave, and snow mold are a few problems that can delay the greening of the land. The following tips can help you avoid some major winter issues.
Tip #1: Clean up the debris
One of the worst things for your lawn is to leave dead leaves, branches, and other lawn detritus laying on the grass all winter. This is because the debris can smother the grass and kill it or trap moisture that leads to mold and other fungal issues. Rake thoroughly in fall to prevent this. Depending on your weather, you may also need to rake a few times throughout the winter, as well. Just don't rake when the ground is frozen or if the ground is saturated, as this could damage the lawn.
Tip #2: Skip thaw dethatching
Thatch is the layer of organic matter, mainly made up of old grass blades and stems, that builds up on the soil surface of the lawn. When the layer gets too thick, moisture and nutrients can't seep into the soil. Thatch also plays an important role as a soil mulch and insulator, though. Put off any dethatching until spring. By leaving it in place over winter, the thatch layer helps insulate the ground, which in turn helps prevent frost heave. Heave is bad because it leads to lumps in the lawn. It can also uproot small plants or kill patches of turf grass.
Tip #3: Watch the salt
Ice-melting salts and other chemical concoctions are great for clearing walkways, but they are really tough on the grass. Some types can even render the soil nearly sterile, which makes it all but impossible to grow grass in the area. If you want to avoid dead strips along the edges of your walkways, go light with the ice-melting salts and avoid sprinkling them right on the grass. This way, what small amount of salt does make its way to the lawn will be diluted sufficiently by the snow melt.
Don't despair if damage does occur, though. Often, with prompt care, the lawn can return to its former beauty. For more help in bringing your lawn back to full glory once spring arrives, contact a landscaper at a company like Ironwood Earthcare in your area.