Common Spring Issues

Spring is here! Most everyone is excited for warmer weather and beautiful green lawns. However, your lawn may not be the lovely emerald field you had hoped for this spring. We have included 3 common spring issues that plague lawns this time of year, and some helpful tips to navigate the next month or so while your lawn starts to repair itself.

Voles are small rodents resembling a mouse, and love to eat away at your lawn, and other plant material, during the winter. They can cause extensive damage to your lawn, and cause distress to any homeowner.

The best way to help your lawn recover is to lightly rake away some of the dead plant material. It is important to not rake away any other living material when doing this. A good way to see if your lawn is ready for a light raking? Try walking on that area - if your foot leaves an indentation or depression in the soil, it is too soon! Wait a week or two until the soil has had a chance to dry out.

Vole damage can be very unsightly, much like the lawn below:



If you have extensive damage, reseeding the area may be necessary. Contact your local landscaping company to get their opinions on the matter.

Man's best friend can be a lawn's worst enemy - especially during the spring. Dog urine has concentrated amounts of nitrogen and associated salts. In very small doses, dog urine can act as a stimulant for grass growth, resulting in darker green grass that can grow very quickly. However, in most cases, the high levels of nitrogen and associated salts in dog urine can easily damage a lawn, resulting in 'burned' areas surrounded by a ring of darker, taller grass. This is commonly referred to as 'Dog Spot'.

One way to combat this issue is to train your furry friend to use a non-turf area to urinate, or selecting an area where an aesthetic problem will not cause issues. This is the only sure-fire way to prevent dog spot.

Always provide adequate water for your pet; increased water consumption will dilute urine, reducing the potential for turf injury.

Road salt is applied during the winter to help melt the ice on our sidewalks, roadways, and driveways. However, just as the nitrogen and associated salts in dog urine can cause issues, road salt can also cause harm to the lawn surrounding these areas.

The best way to avoid salt damage is to prevent it from happening. Try using an alternative to salt for a deicer. Kitty litter and sand are two great options that work well to melt ice without damaging your lawn. However, with any deicing materials, be careful not to apply it near the edges (where concrete meets the grass) of your walkways, driveways, etc.

If you see salt damage on your lawn in the spring, you may need to reseed the affected areas of your lawn. Contact your local landscaping company to get their opinions on the matter.