Spring is a big celebration here in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Dig out the flip-flops! Toss some burgers on the grill!
Whoa — what happened to your grass?
Let’s learn more about damage from snow and ice removal, including:
- Is Rock Salt Bad for Grass?
- What Does Salt Damage Look Like on Grass?
- Will Grass Grow Back After Salt Damage?
- Will Gypsum Repair Grass Damaged by Salt?
- Will Grass Grow Back on Its Own After Plowing Damage?
- How to Fix Rock Salt Damage in Lawns?
- Try to Avoid Snow Removal Damage in the First Place
- Snow Removal Practices that Prevent Damage in the First Place
Between the steel snow plow blades that cleared the piles of white stuff and the products that kept your flat surfaces clear of treacherous ice, there’s some lawn damage out there.
How do you repair salt-damaged grass? Will grass grow back on its own after plowing damage?
Once a salt burn damages the grass, it’s usually dead, and you’ll need to re-seed those damaged lawn areas.
Grass might grow back after snow plow damage — it depends on the extent of the damage. If the plow only slightly disturbs your grass, it will probably recover independently.
But if those plow blades did a number on your lawn, scraping up big sections of lawn, you’ll likely need to re-seed after snow removal damage.
Read on to learn more.
Is Rock Salt Bad for Grass?
There's not much worse for turfgrass than rock salt. Even if the damage isn't apparent through much of the winter, once the snow melts, you'll know the damage when you see it.
Brown grass. Dehydrated soils. It's an ugly mess.
When salt comes into contact with the grass' roots, it draws moisture out of the plant cells, causing them to dehydrate and die.
What Does Salt Damage Look Like on Grass?
You’ll notice a few different things:
Salt-damaged grass will turn yellow or brown and sometimes looks burned.
If you touch the grass blades, they’ll feel dry and brittle due to the salt dehydrating the grass.
The damage is often most noticeable along the edges of the grass blades.
Entire patches of lawn might be dead due to salt buildup in the soil. The damage often happens in uneven patches, depending on where the salt has accumulated.
You can’t see this, but high salt levels can also disrupt the soil structure, making it difficult for the roots to absorb water and nutrients.
Will Grass Grow Back After Salt Damage?
It’s not likely. Once you have rock salt damage in lawns, that grass is dead for good.
Water the affected area thoroughly to help leach out the salt from the soil.
Will Gypsum Repair Grass Damaged by Salt?
You might read that gypsum can help neutralize the salt in the soil by replacing sodium ions with calcium.
But this isn’t a quick fix. It can take years.
You’re much better off reseeding the salt-damaged grass. (More on this in a bit.)
Will Grass Grow Back on Its Own After Plowing Damage?
It depends on how severe the snow removal damage is.
If the plow only slightly disturbs your grass, it will probably recover independently with proper watering and time. Grass can usually grow back on its own after minor snow plow lawn damage, especially if the damage is only to the surface layer of turf and the roots are still healthy.
Turf roots are pretty resilient and can regenerate new growth.
But if those plow blades scraped up big sections of lawn, you’ll likely need to re-seed after snow-removal damage.
How to Fix Rock Salt Damage in Lawns?
Once salt kills grass, it’s dead. You’ll need to re-seed those damaged areas of lawn.
Follow these steps:
- Rake out any dead, salt-damaged grass. Your grass seed will germinate and root best if It can snuggle up to bare soil.
- Dig and loosen the soil a bit to prepare it for the seed.
- Scatter grass seed over the loosened soil. Scratch it in a bit and tamp it down so you know there’s good contact.
Once you’ve seeded those areas of salt-burned grass, follow a few key tips to make sure those seeds sprout and your new grass thrives:
Limit foot traffic as your seed sprouts. That tender new grass needs a chance to take hold and fill in.
Don't use weed control products for at least a month after seeding. It’s tempting, we know. New lawns are typically packed with weeds and usually grow faster than your new grass. They’ll drive you crazy. But that weed killer will also kill your precious new grass.
So, hold off. (The one exception: if RainMaster handles your lawn care. Our pro-level product will kill weeds without harming your new grass. We can use it the day we seed.)
A few extra tips:
- Water extra at first. New grass needs more frequent watering in smaller amounts. But don’t drown your new grass. Lots of people tend to overwater their new lawns, overestimating their thirst.
- Use starter fertilizer. This fertilizer designed for new grass helps it grow and get stronger. It contains phosphorus and quick-release nitrogen in smaller doses — your new lawn’s tender roots need quick access to these nutrients.
- Keep up the care. Make sure your new grass continues to grow strong and healthy.
A proactive, comprehensive lawn care program is designed to nourish your lawn each year so its roots are healthy, its blades are thick and lush, and weeds have a tough time taking hold.
What’s the Best Grass Seed for Overseeding?
Skip the cheap seed, please. That inexpensive grass seed at the home improvement store may contain weed seeds and undesirable grass seeds. It’s not great.
Pay the extra to get high-quality grass seed. And don’t be afraid to go with a mix of different types of grass seed. Every type of grass has advantages and disadvantages.
Fescue does better in shade. Bluegrass thrives in the sun. Rye stands up well to high foot traffic.
That’s why a blend of these grasses is great — you get a bit of all their good qualities. Plus, a mix is better at fending off lawn diseases.
Try to Minimize Snow-Removal Damage in the First Place
Here’s where your pre-season planning with your snow removal company in Minneapolis, MN or Eau Claire, WI plays a key part.
At RainMaster, we’ll meet with you on your property ahead of time to answer your snow removal questions, hear your expectations and offer advice. That includes talking about exactly where to pile the snow, where to put snow stakes and other details that will help prevent snow-removal damage.
Damage from snow and ice removal is kind of the elephant in the room, but we want to be open and talk about it.
Some damage is just part of thorough and safe snow removal. Any Minneapolis snow removal company that tells you otherwise isn’t being truthful.
Snow plow crews are coming through with a 2,000-pound machine with steel blades — sometimes in the middle of the night.
Pushing a snow plow across grass will scrape some of the grass off. There will be ruts in the grass from equipment. Grass will die if there’s enough salt on it. If you ask us to pile snow on a shrub, that will kill it.
We discuss these snow-removal damage concerns with you ahead of time and include stipulations in your contract about who pays for what, so we’re on the same page before damage happens.
Snow Removal Practices that Prevent Damage in the First Place
Some damage from snow and ice removal is likely. How to minimize it?
Snow Hauling
Snow hauling removes big amounts of snow from your property so it doesn’t pile up, causing damage to your lawn and plant material.
Not every site has room to store huge piles of snow that can damage lawns and shrubs. Hauling it offsite solves the problem.
Leaving big piles of snow on your lawn all winter can also cause snow mold, an unsightly fungus.
The longer your lawn is covered with snow, the better the chance snow mold will develop.
When the snow melts, you’ll see the snow mold fungus — tan or grayish-white patches in your lawn that look brittle and matted, like straw.
As that snow mold lingers on your lawn once the snow melts, it looks bad. But it’s also blocking important sunlight from reaching your lawn.
Add snow hauling to your snow removal contract to help prevent snow removal damage.
Use Brine
Brine helps prevent salt-burned grass because it stays put and doesn’t migrate into lawns and planting beds like rock salt often does.
Brine is a liquid mixture of water and salt sprayed on parking lots and walkways to prevent snow and ice from sticking.
It offers fast melting to reduce slick spots, but without the damage to plants and surfaces that comes with rock salt, as brine uses significantly less salt. That means it’s much gentler to the environment.
Brine stays where we put it, too, on paved surfaces without migrating into your lawn and plants.
Use Treated Salt That’s Less Damaging
Traditional rock salt can burn lawns and surrounding landscaping, leaving unsightly brown patches of dead salt-damaged grass.
In addition to the brine we just mentioned, RainMaster uses treated salt that’s less corrosive and much kinder to landscaping and the environment than regular rock salt.
Beyond killing grass and plants, excess salt and ice melt products run off into rivers and streams and end up in the groundwater. Careful use of snow melt products is crucial to prevent salt-burned grass and protect the environment.
Ready for Honest, Dependable Lawn Care & Snow Removal in Minneapolis, MN & Eau Claire, WI? Trust RainMaster
Snow removal damage happens, no matter how skilled your team is, but certain precautions can help minimize it.
Partner with lawn care & snow removal in Eau Claire, WI that communicates with you honestly about snow removal damage potential, takes steps to minimize it and can help you fix any issues once spring (finally) arrives.
When you’re ready to trust us, we can’t wait to meet you and help you make the best choices for your property.
Ready for dependable snow and ice management? Request a quote today! We’ll review your snow removal options together so you can make a great choice. Then, you can rest easy and stop worrying when snow piles up.
