6 Winter Lawn Care Tips
Some may think that all lawn care stops once the temperature drops. This isn’t true. There are ways to maintain a healthy lawn during the wintertime. With these winter lawn care tips, your lawn will be ready for spring! Lawn mowers are being put away and snow blowers are being taken out. Even so, there are ways to save the lawn you worked so hard on. Winter is tough on lawns, but here are some lawn maintenance steps you can take before and during the cold months. Prepare your lawn for winter so that your lawn looks lush and healthy come Spring.
1. Fertilizing
Lawn care in winter requires fertilization. It’s best to fertilize around the late fall/early winter time. Your grass is most likely a cool season blend, so it will survive the change in weather. Your winter lawn fertilizer should have Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. These can help to supply your lawn with the key nutrients it needs to stay healthy. As soon as your lawn freezes for the first time, these nutrients will stay locked in the grass all winter long. That way, as soon as it warms up, your grass will be lush and green, since it had been absorbing nutrients for months.
2. Weeding
Another important aspect of winter lawn care is weeding before the snowfall. Around late fall/early winter time you should dig up any weeds, and then treat that spot with herbicide. This guarantees that once the snow melts, you will have a weed-free lawn. Weed control will make your life a lot easier in the spring.
3. Snow Management Helps Prepare Your Lawn for Winter
Snow management for your lawn is more important than you may think. The typical snow removal tools like shovels and plows can damage your lawn. The best way to protect your lawn is to remove the snow as soon as possible so that it doesn’t get packed down. Try your best to not put large piles of snow on your lawn, as that can cause more damage to the grass. Minimize the use of deicers to keep your lawn from getting too damaged from the chemicals. Snow management is a key step in winter lawn care.
4. Aeration
As the temperatures drop, your lawn is preparing itself for winter. It is important at this stage to aerate your lawn, so that it can breathe and there won’t be any buildup. Buildup can cause your lawn to get diseases or insects. Aerating removes small plugs of soil so that nutrients can get in, and the lawn can breathe. Then any fertilizer you use will be able to do its job in full. This process will help to unveil a nice green lawn when spring rolls around.
5. Final Cut
It is important to start slowly cutting your lawn shorter, beginning at the end of summer. This makes sure that you don’t shock your lawn by mowing it down all at once. This prevents animals from burrowing in the tall grass for warmth. Continue to mow over the leaves in the fall months too, so that they don’t build up over winter and cause disease. Prepare your lawn for winter with a final cut to leave yourself with a lawn ready to grow for spring.
6. Winterizing Irrigation Systems
During the winter time, your sprinkler system may get damaged if you don’t care for it. First, you have to make sure that the valve for your irrigation system is shut off, and insulated. The set timer on it will also have to be shut off so that it does not go off. You must drain the pipes, so they don’t freeze and burst during the winter. You can do this manually or automatically. Anything that sits above ground should be insulted to protect it from the weather.
Conclusion
Winter is a wonderful time of the year, however, with its arrival, your site requires great maintenance. Contact us at Earth Development and we will help you prepare your lawn for the temperature drop.