Many homeowners in Alberta struggle with managing their lawn in the winter months due to intense weather patterns.
The unpredictability of our weather makes preparation critical, especially if you want to avoid lasting damage to your property.
Homeowners in Alberta will typically face heavy snowfall, cold temperatures, icy roads, and fallen trees throughout the winter.
We’ve compiled five simple tips for lawn treatment so you can be better prepared come winter time.
1. You Should Leave the Snow as is
While it might seem counterintuitive, consistent snowfall can actually protect your lawn from a number of damaging symptoms.
When exposed to extreme temperatures, combined with the cold wind, ice and freeze/thaw conditions, your lawn can suffer from ice damage, low-temperature kill, crown hydration, and wind desiccation.
With the amount of snowfall we often get in Alberta, many homeowners allow snow to accumulate on their lawn during the winter months.
Snow coverage can act as a blanket that helps insulate your lawn and protect your grass and their roots from the extremely cold temperature.
Removing snow can also put strains on your body considering how often it snows in Alberta!
Yardworx offers top dress and overseeds services that can be done any time during the spring and fall seasons.
Topdressing and overseeding can help refurbish a patchy and damaged lawn.
Applying this in the fall will help your grass stay green throughout the winter. While applying in the spring will give your lawn a makeover and maximize the health of your soil.
2. Handling Ice Damage
Ice coverage is definitely not desirable if you are a homeowner.
Prolonged ice coverage can lead to an accumulation of carbon dioxide under the ice, which can be toxic to your plants.
To avoid ice damage, make sure that ice does not sit on your lawn for longer than 30 days.
You can purchase ice melters from your local hardware store.
Also, certain grasses, like Creeping Bentgrass and Kentucky Bluegrass, are more resilient to ice damage.
We recommend planting these grasses if you plan on staying in Alberta long term.
3. Avoiding Crown Hydration
Avoiding crown hydration is another important part of winter lawn management.
Fertilizing properly in the fall is one of the best ways to prevent this from happening.
Luckily, our professionals at Yardworx has extensive experience in working with Alberta’s weather conditions.
Many homeowners rely on us to fertilize their lawns since we’ve been working in the industry for 30 years.
If preventative care wasn’t initiated, then core aeration, overseeding, slit-seeding and topdressing can help nurse your lawn back to health in the spring.
4. Protecting Your Lawn from Salt Damage
Salt damage can occur from the use of certain ice melt products.
These are typically used to de-ice sidewalks and driveways.
Commercial salt used on streets can also be spread to your yard during inclement weather.
This salt can be absorbed through the root system of your plants, which can weaken them over time.
In order to avoid this, you can erect a barrier between the vulnerable area of your lawn and the source of the salt.
Many homeowners use burlap or landscape fabric to do this. These materials can also be used to cover an exposed plant bed.
Flushing out the salt with deep water soaking can help remove salt if preventative measures are not taken.
Additionally, many homeowners use gypsum to break down salt in their soil.
5. Preventing Snow Mould
Snow mould is something you want to avoid during the winter.
Pink snow mould and gray snow mould are the two most common types.
In order to prevent snow mould, it’s vital to fertilize your lawn before winter strikes.
Additionally, removing thatch accumulation, leaves, clippings, and debris before snowfall occurs can decrease the likelihood that your lawn will experience snow mould.
Winter Lawn Treatment in Alberta
Even though winter in Alberta can be brutal, your lawn can be well-protected if follow the five tips presented here.
Yardworx can help with many of these activities, as our employees are experts at preparing lawns for intense snowfall.
Contact Yardworx for winter lawn treatment in Calgary and Edmonton today! You can also order our services directly by filling out our online form below.