Although your grass is dormant right now, there are many important factors that will affect your lawn care in Massachusetts immediately and in the spring. 
If you have heavy snow cover on your lawn, that snow is acting as an insulator protecting the turf system underneath. The snow protects the grass from biting winds and extreme low temperatures. Additionally, the insulation ensures that microbes in the soil and even earthworms can continue to work improving the health of the turf system.
As daytime temperatures rise, melting snow is able to reach the soil level acting as a sort of slow release watering system. Snow also contains atmospheric nitrogen. Therefore, as melting occurs nitrogen is carried through to the soil and can be stored there until the plant needs it.
Whether covered or uncovered by snow, traffic on lawn areas in the winter can cause damage and should be limited if possible. Snow can be compacted under your feet smothering the grass below and stunting the green up in the spring. Traffic over the lawn while it is partially thawed can compact the upper root zone of the soil making nutrients less available to the grass plants. Walking on grass exposed to extreme cold temperatures with no snow cover can cause damage to the crown, or brains of the plants, causing noticeable damage in the spring.
Compacted snow resulting from foot traffic in these warm days can create a layer of ice as it freezes in the cold overnight temperatures. Ice can be detrimental to turf grasses and its impact is increasingly significant the longer it remains.
As a winter turf management incentive,Burgess Turf Management is offering 15% OFF your lawn management when you sign up and pre-pay in the month of January for new customers.
