Winter Wear - Getting Your Lawn Back!

WINTER WEAR - Assessing Your Post Winter Turf by Cliff Drezek

After a relatively benign winter with variable temperatures and snow cover, you can expect to see areas of both dessication and snow mold disease as we begin to take stock of our turf.

Dessication is a condition that causes a drying out of your turf (similar to chapped lips) in areas that are exposed to wind or heavy traffic.

Snow mold disease (pink and/or gray) will be evident in most lawn areas early on. This causes areas of turf to become crusty and matted down, with a pink or grayish tint. This disease was more active this winter due to early snowfall on un-frozen ground, which created ideal conditions for development. Both of these conditions should gradually recover, especially once soil temperatures climb above 50-55º F. and stay there.

You may also notice signs of field mice and mole activity, depending on your location. These pests are generally moving away back into wooded areas. Dirt mounds caused by moles can be raked out and the soil spread out. Field mice tracks are primarily surface type damage, but the recovery could take several weeks if crowns of grass plants were injured.

Clean up of the turf can begin once lawn is open, but avoid working if soil is very wet. We strongly recommend against heavy raking and/or mechanical de-thatching to avoid damage to both the turf and your pre-emergent control.

Follow these spring clean up guidelines for the best results:

- “Air out” your turf with light raking or mowing. Don’t try to rake out all of the dormant tissue.

- Sweep or blow off sand along edges rather than raking.

- Turf pieces torn up by plows can be put back and tamped down where they will take root.

- Remember - Power thatching could be detrimental to your crabgrass control