Now that winter is officially in full swing with freezing cold temperatures and layers of snow, ice and slush covering the ground, it’s important to make sure you’re protecting your lawn. While it may seem like a distant dream that green grass will be making an appearance anytime soon, spring is just around the corner and protecting your lawn now will make a huge difference when the time does come. Here are a few tips to keep your lawn from being damaged this winter.
Reduce Foot Traffic
It is best to keep foot traffic on your lawn to a minimum until springtime. When frost is present or grass is frozen, walking on it can severely damage the grass blades. Additionally, when snow has accumulated, continuously walking on it compacts it even further, creating more pressure on your lawn. Some footprints may even linger and turn brown or kill the grass entirely. Depending on how much damage occurs, it may require reseeding or aeration in the springtime. For these reasons, we recommend staying off your lawn altogether if possible!
Keep Salt off Lawn
Where there’s snow and ice, inevitably there’s also salt and ice melt to help make it less slippery underfoot. However, you should be wary of which products you’re using in your driveway in order to help protect your lawn. Road salts and ice melt can alter the PH levels of your soil, which can severely damage your lawn. You should also avoid products with fertilizer, as the dormant turn cannot absorb the fertilizer. Choose a product that has calcium magnesium acetate (CMA)instead, as it is much better for your lawn and environment.
Mark Driveway for Plowing
If you’re having your driveway plowed, it can be difficult for the plow to be able to see where your driveway ends while it is covered in snow. Marking it off with wooden stakes, flags, or some sort of physical boundary will lessen the chances of the plow getting into your landscape and causing damage.
Contact Berardi Irrigation
For more information on how to protect your lawn from damage in the winter or preparing for spring, contact the experts at Berardi Irrigation! Fill out a contact form or give us a call at (781) 828-2029.
