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 Use a leaf rake to lightly lift and separate the
matted grass blades. This helps speed drying, increase airflow, and
reduce the risk of pink and gray snow mold developing and damaging
your lawn.
These fungal diseases are most common when heavy snowfalls or ice
covers non-frozen turf or after late winter snowstorms. The damage
is usually seen where snow lingers late in the season.
Symptoms appear as circular areas of matted brown grass. You may
even see a gray or pink cobweb-like growth over these areas.
Fortunately, lawns eventually recover. Reduce the risk of future
problems with proper timing of lawn fertilization.
Remove any leaves or debris that ended up on the lawn. Large leaves
on the grass capture moisture and prevent sunlight from reaching the
plants below. Use leaves you collect as mulch in the garden or add
to the compost pile.
Look for vole trails in the lawn. These small rodents travel beneath
the snow and over the grass in search of food all winter long. Their
travels create trails of bare or dead grass. The surrounding grass
will eventually fill in the damaged areas. Speed recovery by
sprinkling grass seed over the trails. Just mix a handful of grass
seed in a mop bucket of topsoil to make a lawn patch. Sprinkle the
mixture in the trails, gently tamp and water.
Check areas along walks, drives and the street for deicing salt
damage. Even if you don’t apply deicing salts, passing cars can
spray it onto your lawn. Your car also brings home salt as it
travels along salted roadways, depositing salty snow onto the drive.
Make sure these areas receive sufficient water
this spring. Regular spring showers often do the job. Thoroughly
water these areas during dry springtime weather to help wash the
salt past the grass roots into the soil below.
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Consider shoveling first and using plant-friendly
deicing salts in the future. This will reduce the need for deicing
salts and reduce the time and money spent repairing salt-damaged
plants.
Use this time to sharpen your mower blades. Using sharp blades to
cut the grass results in a healthier and better-looking lawn. The
clean cut made by a sharp blade closes quickly, reducing the risk of
disease problems. Sharp blades also save time as you can cut the
grass more efficiently. And speaking of savings, your mower will
consume 22% less fuel and the lawn will use up to 30% less water
when using sharp blades.
Soon it will be time to mow the lawn. Mow high and often, leaving
grass clippings on the lawn to add organic matter, moisture, and
nutrients to the soil. Always sweep clippings off walks and the
drive to keep this valuable organic matter out of waterways.
Take care of winter damage now before the even busier garden season
begins. Investing time now helps improve your lawn’s health and
beauty, allowing you more time to enjoy the summer.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including
Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow
Anything” DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda’s Garden
Moment TV & radio program. Myers is also a columnist and
contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Her website is
www.MelindaMyers.com.
[Photo credit: MelindaMyers.com] |
