It may seem like winter is time to forget about the lawn. It's dormant, you've spent countless dollars and hours maintaining it throughout the growing season. You may just want to take some time off and focus your efforts elsewhere. While the amount of time and efforts spent on your lawn will surely decrease during the winter months, there are still some general procedures to keep up with to ensure all of your hard work during the growing season wasn't wasted. 

• Limit the ice melt
• Ice melt is a great way to ensure your driveways and sidewalks are safe during inclement weather. However, excessive use of ice melt can potentially damage turf and other plants. 
• Use ice melt sparingly to decrease potential runoff into turf and garden spaces. 
• Stop applying ice melt a few inches from the edge of surfaces to prevent contact with the lawn.
• Some organic alternatives to traditional ice melt include sand and kitty litter which work great for small problem spots.
• Remove hoses from outside faucets and drain them in order to prevent freeze damage.
• Turn off and drain your irrigation system.
• Try to avoid walking on or contacting a frozen lawn as footprints and tire tracks can damage the turf.
• Avoid piling snow deeply on lawn or other plants as this can block oxygen and nutrients while also potentially causing fungus and mold issues.
• Remember to store chemicals in an area where they won't freeze and out of the reach of children and pets.