Learning Center / Timing and seasons
What happens to your lawn in the winter?
Tall fescue slows down, loses some color and mostly rests until spring. It is not dead. Most winter damage comes from things sitting on it, like leaves, snow and salt, or from walking on it when it is frozen.
- By David Obeid, founder
- Reviewed
- 5 min read
The short answer
Is a dull, slow-growing lawn in winter normal?
Yes. Tall fescue is a cool-season grass, and as the soil gets cold it slows way down and rests until spring. In a mild Northern Virginia winter it often stays somewhat green; after a hard cold snap it can look dull, tan or straw-colored. Both are normal.
What it is doing underground matters more than how it looks. The fall feeding and seeding you did shows up as a thicker lawn when it wakes up in spring.
What hurts it
What actually damages a lawn in winter?
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Leaves left on it
A wet mat of leaves blocks light, holds moisture against the grass and invites disease. More on why leaves should come off.
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Long, matted grass
Grass left long going into winter traps leaves and debris and flops over under snow. That is why the last mows of the season come down to about 3 to 3 1/2 inches.
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Walking on frost
Frozen grass blades snap when stepped on, which can leave brown footprints that last for weeks. Stay off the lawn until the frost melts.
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Snow sitting on matted grass
Long-lasting snow over matted grass or leaves can lead to snow mold, which shows up as gray or pinkish patches in spring. A clean, slightly shorter lawn is the best prevention.
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De-icing salt
Salt and snow-melt piled along walks and driveways can burn the grass beside them. Shovel salty snow onto pavement, not onto the lawn edge, when you can.
Feeding
Should you fertilize in winter?
Not in the dead of winter, and never on frozen ground. Fertilizer on frozen soil can't soak in and can wash off into storm drains and streams.
For fescue, the feeding that matters happens in fall: roughly mid-August to mid-September and again in October and November. Winter is for lime, which helps balance the soil so the lawn can use what it is fed in spring.
Spring
When does the lawn wake back up?
As the soil warms in late winter and early spring, the grass greens up and starts growing again, and our mowing season restarts in late March. The exact timing shifts year to year with the weather.
Crabgrass preventer is timed to the same warming soil: it has to go down before the soil holds around 55°F for several days. See the full seasonal calendar.
Winter to-do list
What is worth doing for your yard in winter?
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Finish the leaf cleanup
Our cleanups run into early January, because oaks often hold their leaves into the new year.
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Put down lime
Winter lime helps balance the soil ahead of spring feeding.
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Prune crape myrtles
January to March, while the trees are dormant. Crape myrtle pruning starts at $189 per tree.
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Clean the gutters
A winter gutter cleaning once the trees are bare clears what fell after the fall visit.
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Plan for spring and fall
If the lawn came out of the year thin, plan its rebuild now: crabgrass prevention in spring, aeration and overseeding next fall.
Related questions
What people also ask
Is my lawn dead if it turns brown in winter?
Almost certainly not. Tall fescue slows down and can lose color in cold weather, then greens back up as the soil warms in spring. Areas that stay bare after the rest of the lawn greens up are the ones worth a closer look.
Is it bad to walk on frosty grass?
Yes. Frozen grass blades snap under foot traffic and can leave brown footprints that last for weeks. Wait until the frost has melted.
When does mowing start again?
We mow from late March to mid-November.
Do you do anything for lawns in winter?
Yes. Leaf cleanup runs into early January, winter lime is part of our lawn care program, and crape myrtle pruning and winter gutter cleaning are both done in the winter months.
Keep reading
More from the Learning Center
- What should you do for your lawn each season in Northern Virginia? A season-by-season lawn calendar for tall fescue: what happens in winter, spring, summer and fall, and which season matters most. Timing and seasons · 6 min read
- Why shouldn't you leave leaves on your lawn all winter? What a wet mat of leaves does to a fescue lawn, why beds and walkways need clearing too, and why one cleanup in November is not enough here. Timing and seasons · 5 min read
- Should you mow your lawn shorter before winter? Why the last mows of the season should drop to about 3 to 3 1/2 inches: a long lawn traps leaves and debris over winter. Lower, never scalped. Timing and seasons · 4 min read
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