In Idaho Falls, your lawn doesn't die when the temperature drops—it hibernates.
While dormant grass is tough enough to survive a deep freeze, it is still vulnerable to physical damage and chemical burns. What you do during the snowy months determines whether your lawn bounces back in April or stays brown and patchy.
The biggest threats to winter grass in Eastern Idaho aren't the cold, but rather heavy foot traffic, salt runoff, and snow mold. To ensure a quick green-up in the spring, you need to protect the turf while it’s inactive.
Here are essential tips for caring for dormant grass in Idaho Falls and for preparing your lawn for a healthy spring recovery.
You know how bears hunker down and hibernate for the winter? Your grass settles in for a long winter nap, too.
It’s not dead. It’s just dormant.
Once the Idaho deep freeze is over, as temperatures rise in spring and it gets water, your dormant grass will start to grow and green up again.
Meanwhile, how do you care for the grass in winter? Mostly, let it rest. Keep a few tips in mind:
Your winter-dormant grass is pretty tough, but winter is a great time to really let it rest.
Cut down on the foot traffic. It got trampled a lot from summer parties and fall football fun.
Don’t use it to store heavy items, and avoid placing heavy equipment, such as mowers and vehicles, on dormant grass. That will compact the soil, making it tougher for your lawn to stretch its roots out in the spring when the ground starts to thaw.
Yes, icy sidewalks are scary, but be wise about your use of sidewalk salt and de-icers.
Use only as much as you need, and do your best to keep it on the pavement and off your dormant winter grass.
The salt and chemicals can damage your lawn, and you’ll discover it in the spring when you’re greeted with dead spots in your grass.
They’re harmful to the environment, too, when they make their way into the water system. So go easy.
Keep an eye out for larger piles of snow and ice that linger on your dormant grass toward the end of winter. Give the spring melting process a nudge by spreading out the taller piles into a more even layer.
Those heavier piles can compact your soil and encourage lawn fungus, like snow mold, to form once temperatures warm up.
You want your winter-dormant grass to start breathing and stretching out its roots as soon as possible in the spring.
Spring! It’s a real celebration here in Idaho, right?
If you celebrate by rummaging in the garage for your lawn mower and sprinklers, calm down. (Also, think about improving your celebration.)
If you were just sleeping for four or five months, would you want to be jarred awake abruptly?
Go easy on your lawn in early spring. It needs to stretch and wake up a bit.
Don’t mow too early. If you jump in and mow your lawn too soon, you can actually damage it and make it susceptible to disease. Same goes for raking. Wait until it dries out a bit.
While your dormant winter grass slumbers, it’s a great time to think back on the season, take note of the trouble spots, and set up a lawn care plan to tackle any problems and set your lawn up to thrive next season.
Did you battle more weeds than usual? Invaded by pests? Did your lawn never quite green up the way you hoped?
Remember, lawn care kicks in big time in early spring, with fertilizer, weed control and grub control. It's important to be ready.
Your lawn knows winter is great for naps. Be sure to sneak in a few cozy ones yourself.
But don’t sleep on setting up your lawn care.
Let us make it easy.
If you want simple, hassle-free lawn care that offers quality core lawn care services for a healthy green lawn, it doesn’t get easier than Lawn Buddies.
No stressing about which complicated combination of lawn care services will get your lawn back to its beautiful green again.
You don’t have time to fuss with all that. Give yourself a break.
Lawn Buddies features one premium six-visit lawn care program that includes everything your lawn needs to grow healthy and green.
Fertilizer, weed treatments, and grub control, all wrapped up in six visits, each perfectly timed throughout the season, so your grass is green and strong and resists weeds.
Choose a professional lawn care service in the Idaho Falls, ID area that bundles your yard’s most-needed treatments into one convenient, no-fuss plan that tells you the cost upfront.
Got a few minutes? That’s all you need to get started. Just fill out the form on this page, call us at (208) 656-9131 or read more about our services. Then you can kick back and relax in your healthy, thriving yard.
Image Source: snow pile