Holiday Decorations and Your Lawn

Before we talk about the joyful (joyless? Who’s to say, really?) task of putting up your holiday yard decorations and the implications it can have on your lawn, let’s do a quick recap of what happens to your lawn in the winter:

First off, what your lawn does in the winter depends widely on where you live. If you live in a warm climate where the temperature seldom drops below 40 degrees, your grass will likely keep trucking along as usual. But for much of the United States, winter brings chilly temperatures—temperatures that force grass to enter a period of dormancy in order to survive. This dormancy is a bit like the grass’ version of hibernation: it knows it’s going to have trouble maintaining the energy it needs to thrive, so it slows its roll and shuts down everything that is not strictly necessary for its survival—hence why grass largely stops growing and turns brown in the winter. More than anything, what’s important to remember is that your lawn is vulnerable and defenseless during the wintertime.

Which brings us to your holiday lawn decorations. What? You mean in its poor and defenseless state grass doesn’t like being stabbed repeatedly by the feet of a ladder when you hang lights on your gutter? Nonsense. All joking aside, it is worth being at least a tad mindful when it comes to decorating your yard this year. Let’s take a look at two quick things you can do to keep it in tip-top shape: 

• Consider buying a ladder safety mat. Using one of these is not only safer for you, but also for your grass. It will protect the ladder’s feet from digging into the ground, thus preventing any damage (and saving you valuable time replanting in the spring).

•  If you decide to use any decorations that will reside on your lawn—huge inflatable Santas, manger scenes, reindeer etc.—make sure to move them around a couple times a week. Moving them around will prevent any decoration from smothering and killing the grass. Remember that during the winter grass is still trying to extract energy from the sun and water when it can, and covering it up for extended periods of time is sure to diminish its chances of survival.

In short, be a little mindful when decorating your yard this year. Your lawn will thank you come spring.