Don’t make a mountain out of a vole trail

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen the lawn and it may still take a little longer. Who knows what has been going on with the lawn all winter while it is hidden under all that snow. As the snow melts and the lawn is revealed, you may notice that voles have been happily living under the snow and creating their own little roadway. Dug up paths and piles of chewed up grass are evidence that there were voles in the lawn. A vole is a small, plant-eating rodent, similar to a mouse but with a stockier body and shorter tail. They can create a lot of damage as they channel their way through the lawn. They dig five- to eight- centimetre-wide paths and make nests with the dug up grass as well as eat it. Although it might look horrible, it is actually not as bad as it looks, and is easy to fix.

Wait until the lawn is dry, then rake up all the old grass. Next fill in the channels with an outdoor soil so that the lawn is even. As the grass begins to grow it will quickly fill in the lawn and soon you will never know that there was any damage.

Snow mold can also show up as the snow melts from the lawn.

It appears on the surface of the lawn and looks like white/grey cotton fluff or cobwebs. Snow mold is caused when the temperatures are around freezing and there is a lot moisture. It can be especially evident when there is a heavy snowfall before the ground is frozen or in an area of the lawn where it takes longer for the snow to melt, such as a shaded area or an area where the snow has been piled.

To help prevent snow mold from appearing, try to melt the snow quickly by spreading out the piles. Snow mold may look unsightly, but it will soon disappear when the lawn dries.

It is harmless and will only slow down the grass from greening up in the spring, but an application of lawn fertilizer when the lawn is dry should help with that.

Products that were used to melt snow and ice can be harmful to plants and the lawn, especially in areas where they have accumulated. To help with this, there is a product available called Salt Stopper which will neutralize the soil. It is sprinkled on the area then watered in. It also helps with pet urine.

It might be tempting to start working on your lawn as soon as the snow has melted, but it is best to stay off the lawn until is has dried. After it is dry, you can rake the winter debris as well as the old grass off the lawn.

Aerating the lawn if it has become compacted will help air, water and nutrients get to the grass’s roots as well as help prevent moss and algae from forming in the lawn.

De-thatching the lawn is beneficial if the thatch has built up, as de-thatching will also help with bringing air, moisture and nutrients to the roots of the grass. A small amount of thatch is fine as it will help hold the moisture in the lawn, but anything more than two centimetres would be too much.

As soon as the grass begins to show signs of growth, you can apply a spring fertilizer to help get things growing.