Your lawn’s growth slows with the arrival of fall which means it’s time for winter lawn preparation. Indeed, beginning your prep in fall helps avoid damage and ensures that your lawn is ready for winter weather.
But how?
In this post we discuss winter preparation so your lawn will not only endure harsh weather but reap the benefits when spring comes back.
How to Prepare Your Lawn for Winter
With winter’s arrival, nearly all turf grass goes dormant. Are you worried about how to take care of your lawn so it regains its glory next spring? Follow this guide suggested by Green Valley Irrigation’s experts for a healthy post-winter lawn.
1. Clean Your Lawn
Start cleaning your lawn for winter in October or November.
- Start by clearing away fallen leaves and debris. Skipping this part can mean having to face snow mould in April. Leaves and thatch left on the lawn over the winter block light and trap moisture, which leads to snow mould and other fungal problems. These are not only bad for your lawn’s health but can also trigger allergies and asthma attacks.
- Remove weeds so they take precious resources, like water and nutrients, away from your grass.
- Mow your lawn one last time before the grass heads into winter dormancy. Set the lawnmower blades one to two inches lower than regular height to reduce susceptibility to snow fungus and maintain good grass health.
- Take advantage of fallen leaves by creating a compost pile and using them to insulate your garden. They protect your lawn and keep it rich in nutrients during the cold months of winter.
2. Aerate Your Lawn
Aeration allows vital nutrients like water, sunlight, and oxygen to sink in and reach your lawn’s root system. This creates a lush, green lawn with a strong, deep root system that is better able to fight off unwanted weeds.
Use an aerating tool to penetrate the soil throughout your lawn and get air to the roots. Irrigate the lawn a couple of days before you aerate. Make numerous passes while focusing on trouble spots, such as playgrounds for children and pets. After you aerate the lawn, fill in the holes with the compost you’ve collected.
3. Feed Your Lawn
Feeding your lawn strengthens its roots and kills moss and unwanted weeds. Apply lawn fertilizer around one to two weeks after your last mowing and aeration and just before the weather gets cold and the ground freezes. The nitrogen will get into the soil and be utilized next spring. The fertilizer will help stimulate your lawn in early spring, providing a quicker green-up.
You should apply proper lawn treatments, including grub killers, pre-emergent weed killers, and fungicides, according to packaging instructions. If your lawn has a weed problem, you can use a spot treatment to target individual plants.
If you have patches of bare lawn, this is the time to treat them. Patching kits include compost, seed, and fertilizer to treat the matter.
During the fall months, your lawn requires roughly one inch of water per week. So, give them a boost by watering them, until the ground freezes.
Because warm-season grasses do not require fertilizer in winter, now’s the time to conduct a soil test to check nutrient levels and make a plan for the next season.
You should make your soil test at least 60 days after an application of lawn fertilizer to get the correct reading.
5. Maintain Your Lawn Irrigation System
Before winter hits hard, you need to winterize your lawn irrigation system. This ensures that, along with your lawn, it is also in good shape for next spring. Otherwise, winter can damage your system in many ways, including sprinkler heads as a result of frost, animals, or poor maintenance. Other potential issues that can necessitate expensive repairs are broken valves, leaks, and broken pipelines.
Call us to winterize your sprinkler system as soon as you can to avoid incurring unnecessary costs.
Follow these five essentials for lawn winter prep. This includes consciously avoiding snow mould, debris, and weed buildup. Take care of your lawn by cleaning up fallen leaves and debris, using proper fertilizers, and contacting lawn sprinkler experts for better maintenance.