GTA Spring Lawn Recovery: Fix Winter Damage
Fix all 5 GTA winter lawn damage types: snow mould, salt injury, frost heaving, vole tunnels and ice compaction. Protocols with soil temperature thresholds.
Why GTA Winters Are Uniquely Hard on Cool-Season Lawns
The 5 Winter Damage Types on GTA Lawns
When to Start Spring Recovery Work: Soil Temperature Thresholds
Overseed or Sod? The GTA Decision Framework
The Victoria Day Benchmark: Why May 24 Weekend Matters
DIY vs. Professional Spring Recovery: Real Cost Comparison
- 1. Snow Mould (Gray & Pink)
- 2. Salt Damage (Road Salt & Ice Melt)
- 3. Frost Heaving & Winter Kill
- 4. Vole Tunnels (Meadow Mouse Runways)
- Lightly rake affected areas with a spring-tine rake to break up matted grass and improve air circulation
- Do not fertilize immediately — nitrogen accelerates fungal spread in cool, wet conditions
- Wait for soil temperature to reach 10°C before applying any fertilizer
- Overseed dead patches at 35–45 g/m² with a matching cultivar mix once nighttime temps are consistently above 5°C
- Rake out dead grass exposing bare soil
- Overseed with salt-tolerant species: Tall Fescue or Perennial Ryegrass perform better in high-salt zones than Kentucky Bluegrass
- If over 40% of the strip is bare, sodding with a Tall Fescue mix gives faster results (2–3 weeks vs. 6–8 weeks for seed)
- Wait until soil is no longer frozen at depth (mid-April typical for GTA)