Last Updated on November 26, 2025 by Duncan

Winter grass damage is a common problem. If you are wondering how your lawn can get damaged during the cold months, there are plenty of ways to do it, with the common ones being:

Voles tunnel damage

Voles are active throughout the winter, thriving beneath snow where they are safe from predators. You’ve probably seen burrow signs in the snow. The insulating snow cover lets them seek food, such as grass blades and roots, by creating surface-level tunnels over your yard.

These tunnels, which frequently appear as meandering paths of dead grass, can leave your lawn looking damaged and uneven by spring. The lack of movement and sunlight in certain areas makes it harder for grass to recover naturally, exacerbating the problem.

Voles may be small, but they tend to cause significant damage. During the winter, voles can tunnel through your lawn. If this is happening beneath the snow, you have no idea. It will not be until the snow melts in the spring that you will notice traces of tunnel damage.

Sometimes voles also eat grass throughout the winter, when other food sources are limited. The good news is that they do not graze on the crown; thus, the grass should recover from the damage when you tend to it.

While vole damage cannot be avoided entirely, there are things you can do to reduce the danger.

As the winter season approaches, you should make your final mowing shorter than usual. This not only helps prevent snow mold but also reduces the likelihood of voles taking up residence in your grass, since they won’t have much hiding space.

Ice damage

A thin layer of frost can cause drooping or discoloration, but a heavy layer of ice will completely kill your grass. When ice covers your lawn, it prevents the grass from getting the oxygen it requires to survive, thus drowning it.

And if temperatures drop to the point where the Earth freezes, grass will be unable to obtain the water it needs to live. This can cause winter kill.

An ice layer can kill grass in a matter of weeks or months, depending on the grass species and the thickness of the ice. Younger plants and fresh growth are more vulnerable to winter mortality because their roots are less cold-resistant.

For warm-season grasses with low tolerance to cold, removing nitrogen from your fertilizer 6 to 8 weeks before the first frost will reduce new growth and help minimize damage.

Snow mold

Snow mold is a fungus that grows under snow. Like vole damage, it will go unnoticed while there is snow on the ground. It is hard to tell it’s there until early spring, when the snow has melted.

As the snow melts, you may discover areas of pink, grey, or white vegetation on the lawn. Pink snow mold is the most harmful form, killing sections of grass. While this is the case, in the vast majority of situations, snow mold damage to lawns is not permanent.

When rejuvenating your lawn after winter, if you notice snow mold, use a soft rake to loosen matted-down grass and allow the soil to dry out faster.

In the future, you can prevent snow mold by adopting proper fall grass care.

For example, you can mow the lawn shorter on the final mow. You don’t want to scalp the grass, but you also don’t want to leave it for too long. This is because long grass can become matted and is more likely to produce mold. And you don’t like this, do you?

Winter desiccation

Winter desiccation is similar to wind burn. It occurs when cold, dry winds take moisture from plants quickly than they can replenish it. Lack of humidity can dry the base of a grass plant, where new growth develops, potentially leading to winter kill.

To help prevent or reduce desiccation damage, keep your grass moist by watering regularly throughout the fall.

To help grass recover from desiccation, water it thoroughly in the spring and consider spreading a light coating of organic material or compost on warm-season lawns to help retain moisture.

Crown hydration

Crown hydration occurs primarily in late winter, following multiple episodes of thawing and freezing. During thawing periods, frost melts as temperatures rise gradually, and plants assume it is spring and absorb the water.

When temperatures drop rapidly, the absorbed water refreezes, causing cell membranes to break and damaging (or even killing) the grass. Crown hydration manifests as large patches of discolored turf and is common in poorly drained areas such as golf courses.

To help your grass recover, improve drainage and aerate the soil to increase water absorption and prevent refreezing.

Plow and salt damage

Winter lawn damage can also come from your efforts to keep your property free of snow and ice. While it is critical to keep your driveway and walkways clean, deicing products that wind up on the lawn can injure or kill the grass.

Plows can also damage lawns if you accidentally drive over them.

The best way to avoid this is to be ultra-cautious around grassy areas when salting and plowing. You can also mark the margins of your driveway so that the plow does not wind up in your lawn, which could damage your grass and cause problems in the spring.

Tricks to avoid lawn problems

You can avoid most winter lawn diseases with proper fall management. The best time to begin prevention is well before the first frost, so September and early October are ideal months to intervene. Here are a few steps you can take to protect your grass against disease after snow and ice arrive:

Rake leaves and yard trash.

Leaving leaves, branches, or lawn clippings spread on the lawn reduces airflow and holds moisture. This offers the ideal environment for diseases to spread.

Dethatch the lawn.

Thatch is a yellowish-brown coating of dead grass that can form between fresh grass and soil. Too much thatch traps moisture, preventing the ground from breathing. Dethatching clears this out and allows water to drain more effectively.

Aerate the soil.

Aerating your lawn improves oxygen flow and allows water to pass through the soil more quickly. It also helps roots grow stronger before winter arrives.

Adjust your mower’s height.

Cut the grass a little shorter for the season’s final mow. This helps prevent matting under snow and reduces the likelihood of mold growth. Just don’t make it too short. Aim to leave 2 to 2.5 inches.

These small steps have a significant impact. When your grass has adequate airflow, drainage, and a strong root structure, it is far less likely to succumb to winter diseases.

Ways to take care of your lawn during winter

Once winter arrives, you won’t need to do much hands-on lawn work, but there are a few things you can keep an eye out for. Cold weather can create conditions that stress your lawn, even if you did thorough prep in the fall.

The first thing to remember is to keep foot traffic to a minimum. When grass freezes, it is more delicate than it appears. Stepping on icy or snow-covered ground can crush grass blades and injure crowns.

This can slow spring growth and allow fungal infections to thrive. When crossing the yard, stick to the sidewalks or authorized walkways.

A straightforward way to make a significant difference is to keep the yard clean during the colder months. Snow that falls on leaves or trash melts slowly, retaining moisture longer than it should.

Trapped moisture creates an environment where fungal infections thrive. Early winter is an excellent time to double-check that the yard is clean and free of leaves and other plant debris.

Consider laying down a thin layer of straw or mulch in exposed areas. This can protect your grass from freezing winds and keep soil temperatures from dropping too quickly during extreme cold. It also helps manage moisture, preventing your soil from being excessively saturated.

Drainage is equally important in winter as it is in other seasons. Snowmelt can accumulate in low-lying areas or in places where water cannot drain easily.

To reduce the likelihood of excess moisture accumulation, route downspouts away from your lawn and avoid piling snow in the same spots each time you shovel.

Even constant raking of light snowfall can improve surface ventilation, making it more difficult for disease to settle in.

Work on keeping your lawn in top shape

Winter lawn care is not about doing more. It is about doing the right thing at the right time.

With a bit of work before and during the colder months, you can avoid obvious issues that detract from your lawn’s spring recovery—raking, aerating, mowing with care, and remaining off the frozen grass all help to prevent lawn diseases from spreading.

Every lawn is unique, and not all problems will manifest in the same manner. However, the most effective way to avoid lawn problems is to address them proactively.

When professional care and the right timing work together, they relieve your stress and position your lawn for long-term success, regardless of how cold it gets.

Whether you’re coping with old troubles or attempting to avoid new ones, the goal is to devise a strategy that begins before the snow comes and lasts throughout the winter. That makes all the difference when spring arrives.