How Compacted Snow Can Damage Grass

Snow on the grass adds moisture to the soil and benefits growth in the spring. It can, however, lead to problems if it becomes packed down from things like too much foot traffic. Compaction on snow can damage the roots of your grass. This will become noticeable in the spring if one area of the grass experienced more compaction during the winter than other areas.

Another guilty party of compaction damaging your grass might be the very one you deemed innocent: the snowman. That jolly happy soul with two eyes made out of coal does indeed cause havoc on your lawn. As heavy piles of snow are created to make a snowman, the grass beneath it becomes compacted. And, when the snowman melts, a large pool of water accumulates in one area of the lawn instead of dispersing evenly. This can also damage the grass. Ecologically speaking, grass stores energy in its root system during the winter; the lawn more or less goes into sleep mode. That brown color you see means that the grass is conserving water and nutrients for the spring. This allows the lawn to produce new blade growth when the weather warms.