During the cold, frost and freezing months of winter grass goes into a dormant stage. It stops growing and relies on the starch stored in its root system to survive. While the grass may appear dead and need little attention it also is the time when your lawn is the most vulnerable to damage.

When the grass blades freeze they become brittle. The grass blades can snap off like broken sticks when walked upon. This is not harmful if only the top of the grass is snapped but unfortunately when you walk on the lawn during this time you can crush the grass crown.

The crown is the life center of grass growth. It is the thick, whitish part of the grass that grows along the top of the soil. This is the birthing point for all new grass growth. While it is safe to cut the top of the grass as we do when mowing and it quickly recovers the same cannot be said for damaging the grass crowns.

Damaged and crushed crowns will not survive. This is why it is important not to drive on the lawn during the cold months unless a thick layer of snow has piled up providing cushioning. If the lawn is simply frozen but not snow covered even walking across it can be harmful.

Another thing that can be harmful to lawns is shoveling snow onto the lawn in heavy piles. Snow […]