What Lurks Beneath the Snow?
(Be proactive. Get ready for the thaw.)
Don’t worry. I promise no snow monsters are going to jump out of the snow and grab you, no icy pit is going to pull you in, and no frozen furball is going to nip at your ankles. I know that sometimes when it is cold and snowy it can feel like this. “No worries, spring is on its way!”
To help conquer our fears of what lurks beneath the snow, let’s get prepared. Being proactive can greatly reduce winter stress and make the transition into spring a lot easier.
Here is what we may anticipate once the snow melts…
You may see unexplainable squiggly lines all over your lawn that look like a drunken bike rider went joyriding all over your back yard. This culprit is no inebriated biker but it could be a bunch of annoying voles playing chase under the snow. Here is what you must do, immediately! As soon as the snow melts, apply a vole repellent right away. We definitely do not want these heavy breeders taking hold and eating the roots of your garden plants.
Once the snow melts you may also notice these alien-like, irregular circles forming on your lawn. The circles may be grayish or have a pink hue. This is Gray or Pink Snow Mold. Ew! Not a pretty sight but it won’t do tons of harm if you are proactive. Arm yourself with a rake, Lime, and maybe a good fungicide. Get out there and rake up those alien circles. This will help stop the spread. Apply Lime because this will help keep this pesky fungus at bay. If all else fails, it may be wise to put down a fungicide.
Believe it or not, cool-season weeds will pop their heads right up once the snow disappears. Be ready for them. Arm yourself with a good weed control that works in cool temperatures. This is key to a low weed count lawn.
In addition to funky trails, weird-looking patches, and cool-season weeds, you may see some bare patches. Some grass probably just could not make it through the winter. Maybe it died off from too much snow plow salt. Maybe it rotted under the snow or could not recover from the summer drought. Whatever the reason, now is the time to be proactive. Throw some grass seed down with a little gypsum, starter fertilizer, and hay. Watch those bare patches fill in quickly and establish themselves before the summer heat sets in.
Don’t get nervous this winter, get ready. Get ready with the tools you need to be proactive and ready for what lurks below, once the snow melts.
SHOPPING LIST:
1. I Must Garden Mole & Vole Repellent, Vole Scram, or Messina’s Mole & Vole Repellent
2. Encap’s Fast Acting Lime or Soil Doctor’s Pelletized Lime
3. Infuse Fungicide
4. Weed Beater Ultra (for cool-season weed control)
5. NEW!!! WEED BEATER ULTRA FE(new, natural way to attack weeds)
6. Van Wilgen’s Grass Seed
7. Encap’s Fast Acting Gypsum
8. Greenview’s Starter Fertilizer or Espoma’s Organic Starter Fertilizer
9. Mainely Mulch Chopped Straw & Hay
Come see us at VanWilgen’s. We would love to help!
