Has winter killed your lawn? After the cold season, many homeowners in Atlanta are left with unsightly, damaged lawns. But the good news is that lawn winter kill is repairable.
However, the attempt to bring back what was once the healthiest lawn calls for patience. You may be required to reseed your grass or wait for months before the patches that have suffered winter kill can repair on their own.
Keep reading to learn more about winter kill in the grass and ways to fix the damaged lawn.
What Does Winter Kill In Grass Mean?
As the cold-weather season comes to an end, you expect your lawn to start greening up and get back to its best condition.
But that’s not always the case. Some sections of your lawn may be covered with dead grass. This phenomenon is referred to as winter kill. It can affect small, isolated areas of the lawn, or even cause full-scale destruction.
Various conditions trigger the winterkill, but luckily some steps can be taken to help repair the patchy turf.
Why Has Your Grass Died Over Winter? Will It Grow Back After Winter?
Winter time can be magical but has the ability to knock off your healthy lawn, leaving it with dead grass. You barely notice its unforgiving side until the winter is over, and all you have left are bare or brown patches on your lawn.
But what could have caused your grass to die over the winter? Let’s take a look at the most common reasons:
Cold Desiccation
On the other side, a layer of snow can act as a protective insulator on the lawn. However, the condition can turn unfavorable when the snow no longer covers the turf.
The cold, drying winter winds will freeze the ground solid, freezing the roots of the grass. This means the grass blades will become dehydrated as the roots cannot replace the moisture lost to those dry winter winds. As a result, your grass will either experience cell death by turning brown, or will die off totally.
Where the damage is not extensive, the lawn will recover itself in the spring, but reseeding is recommended where the damage appears widespread.
Crown Hydration
Crown hydration usually strikes in late winter, and it’s known to be the common cause of winter kill. Typically, the persistent temperature fluctuations in winter will cause the most damage to your dormant grass, even more than the sustained cold weather. Winterkill occurs following the temperature fluctuations (the sudden thawing and freezing conditions), which wreak havoc on many lawns.
When it’s relatively warm and humid, the grass crowns will take in water, but when the temperatures drop suddenly to a frozen state, the water in the crowns freezes and expands, damaging the cells of the grass crowns, which causes the death of your grass.
Crown hydration is unavoidable, but the damage can be fixed. You can reseed or even lay fresh sod over the damaged patches of the lawn.
Vole Infestation
The last culprit on our list is voles. These little rodents tunnel around lawns, chewing on the grass and its roots. They cause a lot of damage during the winter season as it is hard to spot the telltale signs of their invasion.
These animals will leave behind thin, extensive trails of dead grass. Luckily, your damaged lawn will repair itself with time, once the wildlife is eliminated.
How Can You Revive Your Lawn After Winter?
Spring is here, and your winter-damaged lawn is not greening up as you had hoped. No need to worry! The following tips will help you revive your lawn after winter:
Applying Fertilizer
Applying a quick-release fertilizer to your lawn will see your dying grass green up in a matter of days. This fertilizer is get easily absorbed into the roots, accelerating the regeneration process of the grass. Make sure you stick to the correct proportions when applying this fertilizer, otherwise you’ll end up killing your grass completely.
Also, consider applying the slow-release fertilizer to keep your lawn well fed for a long time.
Watering Your Lawn
Remember to water your lawn regularly. Keeping it moist will see your grass grow strong and resilient. Besides, moisture helps boost the absorption of the fertilizer. The recommended time to water lawns is morning hours, before 10 am. This gives the lawn adequate time to absorb the water and dry off.
Reseeding
Check for the patches that appear thinned or totally bare and seed them. If left open, the thinned or completely bare spots will be filled with weeds or may spread out with time, worsening the appearance of your lawn.
However, if you seed them on time, water them, and feed them well, new grass will begin to sprout, giving these spots a nicer look.
Combating Weeds
With weeds on your lawn, the grass will be deprived of its essential nutrients. Not to mention that the weeds will also interfere with your lawn’s aeration.
Lawn Mowing
Mowing your lawn at the right time is also crucial. A light mow in the early spring is recommended to help prepare the lawn for the growing season. However, never mow your lawn when temperatures rise. Mowing loosens and exposes your grass root system to shallow grounds. This situation may be stressful for your dying grass if not well-timed.
Consider enhancing your outdoor space with a wood deck, providing a natural and inviting area for relaxation and spending time with loved ones.
If you’re looking for trusted professionals who offer lawn care services in Atlanta, GA, or the surrounding area, you’ve come to the right place. Guaranteed Green specializes in lawn fertilization, weed control, and provides all types of lawn care treatments. So give us a call today, we are ready for whatever your lawn throws at us!
