Does lawn care matter in the winter? The short answer is yes, absolutely. While active lawn growth slows down during the colder months, especially in climates like Wichita, your lawn still needs protection from our extreme temperature swings and dry winds. Simple steps like watering, snow mold prevention and debris removal are vital lawn care practices that minimize stress and prevent damage in the winter. Let’s explore in more detail why and how homeowners should practice lawn care during the Kansas winter.
Dormant Lawn Care in Kansas
During the winter, most Wichita lawns are dormant. This state allows the grass to preserve energy by halting growth and turning brown. Common cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, may retain some of their green color and growth on mild winter days. On the other hand warm-season grasses will go totally dormant and brown until the spring. While the lawn may look dead, the grass maintains living tissue and root systems underground. This is important to keep in mind as truly dead grass won’t green up during the growing season in the spring.
Kansas Winter Lawn Maintenance
When Should I Water My Lawn During Winter?
Typically, you don’t need to water your lawn during winters in Wichita. However, there are exceptions to this rule.
When to Water Your Lawn:
- Your area has not seen moisture in over four weeks.
- You have a newly seeded lawn.
- The soil temperature is consistently above 40°F
Things to Remember About Winter Watering:
- Only water your lawn if the temperatures are consistently above freezing and the ground itself is not frozen.
- Water your lawn deeply and infrequently.
- Detach your garden hose after watering to prevent pipes from freezing and bursting.
Benefits of Winter Watering:
- According to the Kansas State University Extension Office, winter watering maintains a healthy root system and promotes faster green-up in the spring.
- Stops dry, cold winter winds from putting stress on your turf.
- Strengthens disease resilience and protects against other stressors in the spring.
Snow Mold Prevention and Treatment
Snow mold is a fungal disease that affects lawns, during the late winter and early spring. Unlike a lot of other common Kansas lawn diseases, snow mold thrives in cold weather under moist conditions.
How to Spot Snow Mold:
- The fungus often appears in circular grey or pink patches
- Typically appear after snow begins to melt and thaw
- Keep an eye out for matted down, crusty patches of grass
How to Prevent and Treat Snow Mold:
- Focus on good lawn drainage and rake or remove fallen leaves in the fall
- To treat the areas, gently rake the affected grass to improve airflow
- Only use fungicides in severe cases and only ones labeled for snow mold.
- Avoid winter fertilizing
Benefits of Snow Mold Prevention and Care
- Preserves lawn aesthetics by preventing brown, patchy snow mold growth
- Promotes healthy turf growth by strengthening grass roots that fight disease
- Saves homeowners money by preventing costly reseeding or sodding
- Minimizes spring lawn recovery time
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- Snow Mold
Debris Removal
Fallen debris like leaves, branches, and matted grass can smother your dormant grass by blocking light and air circulation. Over time, those dense patches of debris trap moisture against your grass creating the perfect environment for snow mold and other fungi. With that in mind, it’s critical to regularly remove dead plant debris during the winter.
Benefits of Regular Debris Removal:
- Prevents disease and pest growth through dead plant fibers
- Enhances soil water absorption and retention
- Reduces harmful thatch build up that could hurt root health
- Keeps soil pH consistent, allowing the grass to absorb nutrients effectively
Limited Foot Traffic
Winter lawn protection includes being mindful of foot traffic. Walking on frozen or snow-covered grass can cause damage to the turf by breaking the dormant grass blades and compacting soil. Keep in mind, while the grass is dormant, it cannot recover from the damage until spring, essentially halting important growth at the beginning of the season.
Best way to avoid and prevent foot traffic damage:
- Simply avoid walking on frozen or dormant turf
- If you must walk through frozen turf use a different path each time
- Reseed in mid to late April if necessary
What You Shouldn’t Do
Winter Fertilizing
In Wichita, it’s best to avoid fertilizing during the winter months for several reasons.
- Fertilizing too early sacrifices root growth and only prioritizes shoot growth. Healthier roots strengthen the grass over time, promoting weed resistance and drought tolerance.
- Increases the risk of runoff. Snow melt and water during the winter can wash away fertilizer before it is absorbed.
- Potential grass burning. If the ground isn’t completely frozen, fertilizer can sometimes ‘burn’ dormant grass, causing damage.
When to Fertilize Instead:
- Early fall, September – October to help recover from summer stress
- Late fall, November – Early December, important to apply before ground freezes as it helps strengthen the root system for the winter
- Did you know? According to Scotts, fertilizing in the fall can help your grass green up 2 to 6 weeks earlier than without fertilizer!
- Early spring, April – May, helps green up after winter dormancy
Mowing
Mowing your grass during the winter is often detrimental to your lawn’s overall health. Not only is it necessary since the grass is dormant, but it also makes the turf more susceptible to disease and stress in the spring. When the grass is cut the blades typically shatter when cut. This weakens the plant by creating an entry point for fungi and disease. For more information on when to start mowing and how often to mow your lawn check out our other articles.
Preparing for Spring With Elite Landscape Solutions
As spring approaches in Wichita, keep an eye out for those first signs of greening in your lawn and start practicing the following steps:
- Rake and dethatch your lawn
- Aerate and overseed your soil if necessary
- Practice weed control with pre-emergent herbicides
You can find more information on seasonal lawn care in our article, “Spring Lawn Care Tips for Kansas Homeowners.”
A few winter lawn care steps can be the perfect way to prepare your lawn for the spring. Contact us today for a free estimate and let our experts create a customized lawn care plan to help strengthen your lawn, all year long.