I have a rule I try to live by. I refuse to shovel snow after the first of April. It’s my own little protest against nature. Just trying to let it know that I’m done with that stuff, so it can stop any time.
Now, nature rarely pays much attention to me. But this little moment of protest does make me feel better. In particular, it makes my back feel better. And usually I can get away with it, because snow this time of year never really hangs around for long.
And there is the old saying calling spring snow “poor man’s fertilizer”, because it does seem to make things greener. There is actual science behind that.
The “poor man’s” part largely is just from the fact you don’t have to pay for it. And while if you’re a farmer, you may need more than just a little snow for fertilizer, there is some benefit to it. I always thought it was just the fact that it watered the lawns a bit. But there’s more to it than that.
All precipitation contains nitrogen. Not a lot. Just a small amount. Nitrogen is also a key ingredient in most fertilizers. While rain may run off quickly, especially when the ground is saturated as it is now, snow is a bit slower at going away. It doesn’t just run off. If slowly gives plants a little extra nitrogen as it melts.
So there is an actual reason grass looks greener after a spring snowfall. It’s not our imaginations or hope that spring has finally arrived.
We may not like spring snow, but it’s good for your lawn.