Last Updated on November 29, 2025 by Duncan

If you are wondering why is my grass dying in winter, you should know that it often dies for several reasons. These reasons include:

Poor drainage

Prolonged rainfall can cause the soil to reach its maximum water-holding capacity, leading to saturation and waterlogging. In extreme cases, the grass can get flooded and submerged. If the waterlogging continues, it can cause significant damage to the yard and, in the worst-case scenario, kill the lawn.

Mold

When a large amount of snow accumulates on the ground, but the temperature has not yet dropped, it may promote the growth of snow mold.

Snow mold appears as gray or pink mold. The pink version is more severe and can damage grass shoots and roots. As the lawn dries out, snow mold usually disappears due to the drying effects of sunlight and breeze.

When turf is diseased for an extended period, the grass may die, but most grasses recover organically over time.

Toxic gas accumulation

When ice forms on turf, gas exchange between the turf and the atmosphere reduces. It prevents the turf from using available oxygen for respiration, leading to the accumulation of toxic gases such as carbon dioxide or butanol.

The presence of these harmful gases, along with a lack of oxygen, can cause turf to die, particularly when ice coatings persist for months during the winter.

Small rodents

Voles and other rodents can inflict extensive damage to grass roots throughout the winter. You can easily identify this damage by the tracks of dead grass they leave on lawns, which identify locations where the grass has been completely devoured.

To keep rodents from creating this type of damage, remove dead grass and fallen leaves in the fall, as these provide habitat for rodents.

Crown hydration

If a sudden freeze follows warm weather, turfgrass crowns can be killed, leading to dead grass after winter. Unfortunately, there are few ways for preventing crown freezing. Those in borderline climate zones who regularly experience crown freezes may benefit from planting cool-season turfgrass.

Is your grass dead or simply dormant?

Detecting dead grass can be difficult, especially as it frequently becomes dormant, so understanding the difference between these two states is critical.

You should know that dormancy is a natural stage in which grass ceases to grow but resumes growth once warmer temperatures and sufficient irrigation are restored.

However, dormant and dead grass have similar visual qualities, making it hard to tell the difference. A simple tug test can help you spot differences: grab a patch of brown grass and pull. If it comes out easily, the grass is dead; if there is resistance, it is probably dormant.

Another way to tell if the grass is dead or dormant is to observe its color following the expected resumption of healthy green growth in the spring. If parts of the lawn stay brown or bare, it is apparent that winter has killed the grass.

Because distinguishing between dead and dormant grass by eye is difficult, do not hesitate to seek help from a professional. They will even advise you on how to revive your dormant or dead grass.

How do you avoid damage to your lawn in winter?

What steps can you take to prepare your grass for winter? One of the most important things to do in the fall is to plan for your watering, mowing, and fertilizer schedules. It helps your lawn survive the winter and spring back to life.

Here are some pointers and strategies that you can use.

Begin by cleaning up your grass, removing leaves, logs, rubbish, and weeds. Before the first frost, cut the lawn a little shorter than usual to increase sunlight exposure and defend against winter damage.

Trimming the grass to a shorter length before cold weather helps prevent snow mold and promotes deeper root growth.

Apply a fall lawn feed with higher phosphorus and potassium levels to “winterize” the grass and replenish any nutrients that might have depleted during the summer, ensuring it remains healthy and its roots remain robust during winter.

You should adjust your irrigation to match lower water requirements when temperatures fall, avoiding potential damage from overwatering.

You should aerate grasses prone to winter kill throughout the growing season to prevent soil compaction before cold weather arrives.

How do you revive grass after winter?

There are several ways you can revive your lawn in winter. Some of the things you can do include:

Treat the fungal diseases

As awful as it appears, snow mold is a self-limiting issue. As the soil warms, the fungus dies naturally. No chemicals are necessary.

You can, however, speed up the recuperation process. Gently scrape the matted areas and break up any moist clumps. Sunlight and warm air will kill the fungi more quickly.

If the damage is extensive (as is frequent with pink snow mold), you may need to overseed.

Remove debris and dead material.

Cleaning is unglamorous but highly effective. Remove twigs and fallen branches. Use a flexible leaf rake to remove leaves, dead grass, and thatch. Allow the sunlight to reach the healthy grass hidden beneath. It has been waiting all winter.

If there is no evidence of sickness, dump everything into your compost bin. Are there weeds poking through? Pull them out. The soil is soft, the roots are shallow, and they will slide out easily.

When doing it, you should note that if the thatch layer is thicker than 1/2 inch, raking is insufficient. You must use a dethatcher to dethatch the lawn (there is no other option).

Fix the damage caused by critters.

While field mice, rabbits, and deer may all eat your grass, voles cause the most damage to winter lawns. Don’t worry, it’s easy to fix.

• Rake the ruts to remove dead grass, thatch, and vole droppings.
• Fill the burrow holes with earth.
• Spread topsoil to level the ground.
• The grass will have thinned, and some sections may have bare soil, so you will need to overseed.

To get rid of voles, eliminate their favorite hiding spots (leaf piles, wood piles, and thatch) and use capsaicin-based repellents. You can either use a dog or hire a wildlife management specialist to trap and remove them (if permitted in your state).

Treat the salt damage.

According to the University of Toledo, frozen roadways can accumulate up to 2 pounds of salt per square foot each winter, with some of it inevitably leaching into your lawn. It kills grass and degrades the soil. However, there is a way to cure salt damage.

One of the most effective ways is to leach the salt with gypsum.

To do this, water thoroughly (use a light rain shower pattern) and apply gypsum as directed (typically 20-40 pounds per 1,000 square feet). After which you should deeply water to wash the gypsum and salt away from the grass roots.

You should note that salt can harm grass, so you’ll need to overseed after this treatment.

Overseed the bare areas.

Does grass die in the winter? Some of it will, leaving bare patches and thinning regions that must be overseeded. Follow these steps to achieve the best results:

Using a rake or a garden fork, rough up the top few inches of dirt.

Spread a thin layer of garden soil or compost, then add additional soil in low areas to level the earth.

You should then disperse the seed. For tiny patches, use a handheld spreader; for larger areas, use a drop spreader.

Once you are done, rake it to ensure proper contact with the soil.

Sod is easier to install in larger bare patches affected by winter kill. Just lightly tamp it so the roots reach the dirt.

How long do you have to wait to see results?

Here’s an estimated timeline put together by experts and battle-scarred homeowners:

New grass appears in a week to a month, depending on the type of grass and weather.

Patches fill in nicely after two months (however, newly planted patches may stand out with a slightly different color and texture).

After 3 to 4 months, you have constant coverage and a nice-looking lawn.

If you see minimal growth after a month or if you’ve suffered severe winter damage, contact a lawn care professional to prepare your lawn for the outdoor season.