A once-inviting lawn takes on a straw brown hue and a brittle crispy texture when winter arrives in cold regions. The new appearance is turf’s healthy response to frigid temperatures and limited daylight as the grass plants move into dormancy to preserve their root system. Add a layer of snow and the lawn may disappear for months at a time.
With some TLC in fall and winter, hardy perennial lawn grasses like Kentucky bluegrass, fescues, and perennial ryegrass, will send up bright green shoots when days lengthen and temperatures moderate in spring. Here are seven must-know tips from experts that will help protect your lawn from damage this winter so your grass will come back strong in the spring.
- Lou Manfredini is an Ace Hardware home expert.
- John Orick is the Purdue Master Gardener State program coordinator.
- Richard Jauron is a former extension horticulturist at Iowa State University.
1. Mow Until the Grass Is Dormant
Don’t put your mower away too early. “Continue to mow the lawn until grass stops growing in fall,” says Richard Jauron, former extension horticulturist at Iowa State University. Set the mower deck height at about 2 inches for the final cut of the season.
Excessively long grass invites voles and other rodents to take up residence, tunneling under the snow as they feed on grass blades and roots while protected from predators. If vole damage does occur, lawns will usually fill in as temperatures increase in spring but some overseeding might be necessary.
2. Remove Excessive Leaf Debris
Piles of nutrient-rich leaves are welcome on landscape beds, but a thick layer of leaf cover is detrimental on turf grass. “Excessive leaf debris left on the lawn during winter can block the utilization of light and the exchange of gasses during winter months,” says John Orick, Purdue Master Gardener State coordinator.
If the leaf layer is more than 2 inches thick, remove it by raking or using a lawn mower with a bagging attachment. Add the collected leaves to a compost pile or garden bed. Thin layers of leaves can be recycled back into the lawn. Use a mulching mower to cut leaves into tiny pieces, which will quickly decompose, releasing nutrients in the grass’s root zone.
3. Don’t Fertilize Dormant Turf
“Once the turfgrass plants have entered winter dormancy (or the soil is frozen), the plants are not able to utilize nutrients from fertilizer applications for plant growth,” says Orick. The fertilizer will sit on the leaf blades or on top of the soil surface for weeks in winter, which can damage plants. Apply fertilizer when the grass is actively growing, no later than early November and no earlier than early April in most cold weather regions.
4. Don’t Apply Herbicide to a Dormant Lawn
Herbicide, just like fertilizer, is ineffective on a dormant lawn. The weeds will not take up the product until they are actively growing. “Apply herbicides when the air temperature is between 50 and 85°F,” says Orick.
5. Don’t Aerate or Dethatch After September
Both aeration and dethatching spur grass to produce new roots and shoots. Lawn renovation strategies like these after September will produce a lawn full of tender new roots and shoots that are easily damaged by winter conditions. If time is short before freezing temperatures, delay lawn renovation until spring. Jauron recommends aerating and dethatching in September or April when the lawn will quickly recover in more favorable growing conditions.
6. Choose Ice Melt Carefully
When ice melt lands on turf grass it can burn leaf blades and damage roots. “Use high quality ice melt such as magnesium chloride, which is gentler on the lawn and still does a good job of melting ice,” says Lou Manfredini, Ace Hardware’s home expert. Protect your lawn and surrounding ecosystem by only using as much ice melt product as necessary in critical areas. Avoid piling ice-melt-laden snow on turf grass (or any plant for that matter).
7. Don’t Pile Snow on the Lawn
Large piles of snow that linger into spring increase the chance of lawn diseases like snow mold developing on turf grass. “Avoid large piles of snow on the lawn that can take months to melt away,” says Manfredini. If large piles are inevitable, knock down the pile as temperatures rise to encourage quicker melting.
