In many parts of the country a relatively early snowfall helped put a very swift end to the lawn care season. With many lawn services attempting to finish up for the season the early end to their financial opportunity can be made up by revenue created by snow removal and ice melt but what about the actual condition and state of your lawn. Is the early snow fall something that you should be concerned about come spring time? What about the consequences of turf being blanketed in snow and then defrosting repeatedly? As a homeowner is there anything you can do or anything you should worry about when your lawn is caught between the battles of the season?
First off, our mantra here is always about your state of mind. You certainly should not lose any sleep over the state of your lawn, especially when it isn’t even growing. If there is one certainty when it comes to the weather it’s the fact that you have absolutely no control over it whatsoever so why bother stressing over it. However, there are a few things that you should keep in mind during the awkward transition that we are having this year between Fall and Winter. There is nothing wrong with your lawn experiencing a little inclement weather. If your in the transition or cool season turf grass areas of the country it’s only logical that your lawn consists of turf types that have become acclimated to cold and wintry weather.
First off, when your lawn is exposed after either freezing or being covered with snow and subsequent melting of that snow it’s important that you do the best you can to stay off of it if it’s frozen solid. Two things can happen when a significant amount of foot traffic is present on frozen grass. First off, the cellular structure of the plant can literally be shattered and although this wont necessarily cause permanent damage to the turf it can definitely cause some issues with green up and the emergence from dormancy come spring time.
Secondly, if the turf becomes matted down while exposed to the elements it can remain that way when snow returns. Matted turf is a sure way to stifle oxygen flow thus allowing for certain diseases to begin to take hold. Pink or Gray Snow Mold in particular can cause significant cosmetic damage come spring time and in rare cases cause actual permanent damage.