Care for Your Lawn Through the Winter
In winter you need to be sure that there is no young leaf growth on your grass as this may cause it to be likely to succumb to pests and diseases. To do this over time, lower the the cutting blade height of your lawn mower until you are just about shearing the grass. Undertake this in steps over the course of a few weeks as you don’t want to suddenly remove all the leaf tissue or cause extra damage to the turf. You should not let the grass grow above 2 inches for the cold weather.
Administer fertilizer to your lawn at the end of autumn. Even though this won’t be utilised by the lawn over the cold weather it will be saved in the roots and be immediately usable by the grass in the Spring when new growth begins. Bare or brown areas can be reseeded in the Fall. The seeds will germinate in the cooler weather.
Clear up any rubbish from the lawn before the severest weather. This includes leaves, grass clippings, equipment, flower pots etc. If left in place when it snows they could cover the grass beneath the covering of snow and may cause damage which can make the lawn more likely to succumb to disease. During the colder weather, even though the grass grows very slowly weeds will grow faster so you need to often remove weeds to stop them from harming the turf.
As well you need to water the lawn throughout the winter, although less often than you would in the Summer. For most grass species watering once a week should be plenty. Some grasses, e.g. tall Fescue, rye grass and Kentucky Bluegrass grow well in the winter and need watering and fertilising at this season.
Should you have a watering system remove all the water to stop damage when the temperature drops to below freezing. You don’t want to use it the following Spring only to find the pipes are damaged and full of holes.
With some care your grass will get through the cold weather in excellent shape and emerge healthy and green when it starts to grow again in the Spring. Winter lawn care is not hard if you stick to our guidelines. You’ll find more information on lawn care and lawn mowers at lawn mower reviews.
