Turn winter woes into summer WOWS!

March came in like a lion in much of the country — which is certainly no surprise after this winter’s constantly changing weather patterns. So if you’re anything like me, you’re welcoming spring with open arms and rarin’ to get growing!

If you live in an area that got hit hard by snow or torrential downpours, your lawn may not have made it through the wild winter unscathed. After all, how many times have you spotted tortured turf that was ripped to shreds by an overzealous snowplow scooping up chunks of your grass along with your snow? Or maybe your lawn was inadvertently driven over when it was so saturated with rain that the tires left big marks.

Here’s my secret for curbing plow and tread damage in a hurry: Wait for the snow to be gone from the forecast for good, then once the area dries out a bit, punch holes in the turf or walk on it with aerating lawn sandals. This allows the soil to expand somewhat. Then sprinkle gypsum over the damaged area at the recommended rate and overspray it with my special Tire-Track Removal Tonic:

1 cup of ammonia
1 cup of beer
½ cup of baby shampoo
¼ cup of weak tea water

Mix the ingredients in a 20 gallon hose-end sprayer, filling the balance of the sprayer jar with warm water. Apply to the point of runoff and repeat this treatment every three weeks. Quicker than you can say “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” your lawn will be on the road to recovery!