Northern Lawns Need a Different Spring Routine After a Cruel Winter – The Damage to Look for and How to Repair It
Blizzards, 'snowcrete' and wicked winds have left many northern lawns worse for wear
After a winter defined by relentless snowstorms, ice build-up, and too-many freeze–thaw cycles, lawns across the northern United States will enter spring in fragile condition. Northern homeowners are stepping outside to find matted grass, debris, mysterious patches, and soggy soil.
This year, more than most, the transition into spring demands a planned response and restraint. The urge to fix your lawn’s winter damage immediately can backfire. What northern lawns need now is not aggressive care, but a measured approach that considers the soil first rather than the grass itself.
If you are a northern homeowner tending a lawn, it’s been a few years since you’ve seen blizzard conditions pile the snow up this high. And that ‘snowcrete’ that locked in the Mid Atlantic? No more, thank you. With the last few mild winters, perhaps you’ve blissfully forgotten what your lawn needs most from you this spring. We spoke with three lawn care experts about how to give your lawn some love as it awakens.
Article continues belowWhat Harsh Winters Leave Behind
Across the northern tier of the U.S. the past few months of heavy snow and ice and continued cold temperatures through March have created ideal conditions for several lawn issues to develop beneath the surface.
'Heavy snow and ice can result in added compaction to lawns,’ Jason Dionne, owner of Dionne Landscape Design, explains. ‘It can be a detriment to roots and soil health and can also delay the turf nutrient uptake.’
That stress is often compounded by wildlife activity. ‘I have noticed voles love the added layer of insulation from snow and can create a maze of tunnels at the soil surface, removing grass blades and thatch while creating tunnels.’
Snow mold is another widespread concern after long periods of snow cover. Colorado State University Extension Horticulture Specialist Linda Langelo notes, ‘The most common problem could be snow mold.’ She says homeowners should watch for ‘Any circular gray, pink, or white patches where the grass will be matted, straw-colored, or fuzzy,’ and doesn’t appear to grow.
Langelo says salt damage will be especially visible this year, thanks to frequent applications along roads and walkways. She explains, ‘The grass will be burned, and there will be brown or dead strips along walkways and driveways.’
Patrick Parent, horticultural consultant and radio show host, explains salt damage can be averted with a gypsum-based product. ‘It can help move the salt through the soil, irrigating the soil a bit so that the salt doesn't actually burn the lawn,’ he says.
He says a pelletized gypsum product is less expensive than a fast-acting gypsum, but would take up to six months to work. Patrick recommends the Love Your Soil organic soil food from Jonathan Green, available at Ace Hardware.
In some areas, the damage is more than what one sees on the surface. Langelo points out that lawns can suffer from ice-related stress: ‘When snow melts and refreezes, it can create patches of turf that pull up easily and appear gray, dead, or slimy,’ she says. ‘This happens because the turf's root system can’t get oxygen, and this leads to an anaerobic condition that causes the roots to rot.’
With all that in mind, here are six steps to northern lawn care this spring.
1. Wait for the Soil to Thaw and Dry Out
Dionne advises homeowners to resist acting too quickly: ‘Although the snow has melted, frost may very well still be in the soil,’ he says. ‘I have found it best to let the natural process play out and resist raking or aerating a wet or frozen lawn.’
Langelo echoes this caution, especially when it comes to moisture: ‘Allow the soil to dry out first,’ she says. ‘Once it does, rake away any dead or matted grass, then water.’
And in regions such as New England where the unofficial fifth season is ‘mud season,’ even walking across the lawn can cause damage.
Parent explains, ‘While it's wet, try to not walk on it as much. As we're walking, we're compacting the soil that much more. Because the frost is still in the ground in some areas, that moisture near the surface is stuck in the soil.’
2: Do a Light Clean-up
Once the lawn has dried sufficiently, start with gentle cleanup. Dionne recommends focusing on surface debris: ‘I prefer to make sure that feces, sticks, and larger debris are removed, along with matted leaves.’ The Anvil Wood Handle poly leaf rake available at Home Depot is ideal for gently gathering leaves and debris left on lawns.
Parent agrees that debris removal is especially important this year: ‘There's been a lot of storms in New England and elsewhere, and we're seeing a lot more branches, a lot more everything, all over the place.’
Ideally for Parent, the leaves would have already been removed from the lawn. ‘The large intact leaves themselves can cause some of that snow mold,’ he says. ‘I'm a big proponent of leaving the leaves in the planting beds, but just remove them from the lawn. And if not, they need to be chopped up.’
3. Don’t Rush Fertilizer
One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make in northern climates is starting too early with fertilizing, watering, and seeding.
‘I don’t recommend fertilizing at this time,’ Langelo says. That goes for seeding and overseeding your lawn, too. ‘Besides, the lawn is still recovering from winter damage. Wait until the soil warms up.’
Parent emphasizes the importance of soil temperature over air temperature when it comes to seeding. ‘Seeding the lawn is definitely something we're going to need to do this spring,’ he says, considering the harsh winter we’ve had.
‘Soil temperatures can tell us when to apply our crab grass controls and when to apply seed. we just need the temperatures to warm up, and we actually need the soil temperatures to warm to 55F (13C).’
Putting products down too soon can be both ineffective and costly. As Parent notes, ‘I don't want homeowners to put seed or fertilizer down, have it not taken up by the roots due to the soil temperature and waste their money.’ Get an accurate measurement of your soil’s temperature with the Reotemp soil & compost thermometer, available at Amazon.
4. Compaction And Drainage
This winter’s heavy snow, ice, and saturated soils have left many lawns compacted. Langelo describes the warning signs: ‘If you encounter areas that are soft, muddy and stay that way for days, that’s compaction. The grass will thin and eventually die.’
Parent suggests using this moment in spring for some diagnosis: ‘Because the ground is wet, look for where puddles are forming in your yard,’ he says. ‘Those areas are telling you they are really compacted, and water just sits there.’
Parent also highlights soil amendments for compacted areas. ‘A gypsum-based product will help break up clay-filled soils,’ he says.
‘It will also help break up nutrients trapped in soil and allows them to flush out,’ making them more available for uptake by the grass.
5. Focus On Soil Health
Across all three experts, one theme stands out: healthy lawns start with healthy soil.
‘Healthy soil is a crucial step to produce happy plants, including turf grasses,’ Dionne says. He encourages homeowners to take a longer-term view: ’If you've never had a soil test, have one done. They are easy and well worth the minor expense.’
Parent strongly agrees, calling it the most overlooked step: ‘The biggest mistake I see is not getting a soil test done. Soil tests are super important.’
He adds, ‘It's basically doing blood work for the soil. I need to know what's going on under the ground in order to make it better.’
6. Patience and Observation
Early spring can create a false sense of urgency. However, our experts agree that restraint now leads to better results later. ‘Be patient,’ Dionne advises. ‘Let the soil and lawn wake up and begin to send out roots in search of nutrients. Let it do its thing but pay close attention.’
As Langelo explains, timing is everything. ‘The ideal conditions are waiting until the daytime temperatures are consistently in the 50-degree range,’ she says. ‘You’ll see the grass naturally greening and the soil is thawing.’ Until then, even well-intentioned care can do more harm than good.
And for homeowners eager to reseed or fertilize, Parent offers a practical reminder about jumping the gun: ‘Avoid putting down something too early,’ he suggests. ‘I just don't want somebody to waste the product, then have to buy more later on.’
After a winter like this one, the smartest move isn’t doing more, but doing the right things at the right time.
Northern homeowners are itching to get outside at the first sign of spring, but patience is key. Once warmer temperatures are consistent, then it’s time to plant grass seed and fertilize for the healthiest lawn possible.
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Meet Our Experts
Linda Langelo is a Colorado State University Extension Horticulture Specialist, a member of Garden Communicators International, and a regular contributor to MarthaStewart.com. She produces The Relentless Gardener Podcast and The Relentless Gardener Column. She's a guest blogger for AARP Colorado and AARP Maryland.
Jason Dionne is an Accredited Organic Land Care Professional with a passion for landscape design. Having both a Bachelor of Fine Art and MBA degrees and years of experience working for parks departments and landscape companies, Jason recently started his own design firm, Dionne Landscape Design, in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Patrick Parent has more than 30 years of experience working in the garden industry, starting at just 6 years old helping at his parents' garden center. As a University of Massachusetts Stockbridge School of Agriculture graduate, he has worked at garden centers across the state in a variety of roles, and is currently Product Line Manager at Mahoney's Garden Centers. In his free time, Patrick shares his passion for gardening weekly to listeners nationwide as the host of the Paul Parent Garden Club.
