Care for Your Lawn in Winter

Before winter you need to be sure that there is no new leaf growth on your lawn as this will cause it to be likely to succumb to pests and diseases. To do this gradually, lower the cutting height of your lawn mower until you are almost shearing the lawn. Undertake this in steps over several weeks as you don’t want to abruptly remove all the tissue or inflict extra damage to the turf. You should not let the grass grow above 2 inches during the winter months.

Apply fertilizer to your grass in the late fall. Although this won’t be utilised by the lawn during the slow growth of the winter it will be saved in the roots and will be instantly usable by the lawn in the Spring as new growth begins. If you have bare or brown areas you can re-seed at this time. The grass seeds will sprout in the colder weather.

Clear up any rubbish from the lawn before the first snowfall. This includes branches, grass clippings, equipment, pots etc. If not removed when it starts to snow they will cover the grass underneath the covering of snow and may cause damage which can make the grass more likely to succumb to disease. During the colder weather, even though the grass will grow not as fast weeds will grow faster so you need to often pull out weeds to prevent them from harming the turf.

As well you need to water the lawn throughout the cold season, although less than you would during the Summer. For most grass varieties watering every week should be sufficient. Other species, such as tall Fescue, rye grass and Kentucky Bluegrass grow better in the winter and will benefit from fertilising and watering during this time.

Should you have a sprinkler system empty out all the water to avoid damage in icy weather. You don’t want to use it the following Spring to find damaged pipes.

With some care your lawn will get through the winter in good shape and be green and healthy when it starts to grow again in the Spring. Winter lawn care is easy if you follow our guidelines. You’ll find more information on lawn care at lawn mower reviews.