Anyone living in Minnesota for more than a year has seen the effects of the seasons on our vegetation. Minnesota goes from being a lush, green summer landscape to a bleak, white winter tundra. These changes affect far more than just the way our world looks; it seems everything changes with the seasons. In fact, one additional thing changes during the icy season: winter lawn care becomes crucial for your property.
Exploring Winter Lawn Effects
Like most plants and some animals, your grass hibernates in the winter. This is mostly due to the cold temperatures which freeze the grass and the ground, preventing moisture absorption. For this reason, walking on your grass after the frost begins can cause the blades of grass to break—harming the grass in the process. While grass suffering from this affliction will bounce back eventually, it will require time and careful maintenance like winter fertilizing.
Addressing Winter Mold
Winter lawn effects aren’t just limited to lawn snow damage. Mold growth can also happen under the snow. This pesky ailment typically arises in the spring, during the melt, from too much moisture. Generally, letting the sun dry the area along with some tender loving care is enough to fix the issue, but reworking your drainage and water runoff system can alleviate issues that persist annually.
Avoiding Winter Salt Damage
The most dangerous aspect of winter for your lawn is salt. Rock Salt is a great way to keep your walkways, steps, and paths clear of winter ice; however, it can have damaging effect upon your lawn.
Typically appearing as brown spots near the edges of your paved areas, salt damage can happen anywhere the salt mixture ends up, meaning it can be moved through shoveling or blowing snow. Even walking over the salted areas can damage your landscaping. Using less salt or switching to a friction inducing substance like sawdust or kitty litter are useful alternatives.
Finding the Benefits of Winter
Winter’s effects on our lawns are not all negative; however, snow on your lawn can prevent moisture loss. Additionally, snow bring an increase in your lawns nitrogen levels by trapping the nitrogen during snowfall.
The winter brings many detriments and benefits to our yard; understanding the ways these affect our lawns are key to maintaining a vibrant, lush lawn. With help from Land Concepts, you can keep your lawn looking radiant year-round. Contact us to see what we can do for your commercial or residential property.
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