How to Care for Your Lawn in the Colder Weather
Before the cold weather you should make sure that there is no new growth on your grass as this may make it more likely to succumb to diseases and pests. To do this over time, lower the the cutting blade height of your lawnmower until you are almost shearing the grass. Undertake this in stages over a few weeks as you don’t want to suddenly take off all the leaf tissue or cause more damage to the turf. You don’t want to leave the grass above two inches for the cold weather.
Apply fertilizer to your grass in the late fall. Even though it won’t be used by the lawn over the cold weather it will be stored in the roots and will be immediately available for use by the grass in the Spring as new growth begins. Bare or brown areas can be reseeded in the Fall. During the colder weather the grass seeds will germinate.
Clear up any debris from the lawn before the first snowfall. This includes leaves, logs, equipment, pots etc. If not removed when it snows they could smother the grass beneath the covering of snow and may cause damage which may make the lawn vulnerable to diseases. During the winter, although the grass grows very slowly weeds will thrive so you should weekly pull out weeds to prevent them from causing damage to the turf.
Also you need to water the lawn during the cold weather, although less than you would during the Summer. For most varieties of lawn grass watering each week should be plenty. Some species, e.g. rye grass and tall fescue grow better in the colder weather and need watering and fertilising during this time.
If you have a sprinkler system drain out all the water to prevent harm during a frost. You do not want to start it up the following Spring only to find damaged pipes.
With some care your lawn will survive the winter in good shape and emerge healthy with new growth in the Spring. Winter lawn care is not hard if you stick to our guidelines. You’ll find more information on lawn mowers and lawn care at lawn mower reviews.
Related Posts
