The colder weather is approaching, and now is the time to plan for a healthy, green lawn come springtime. If you live in Texas, what is the best way to prepare your lawn for the fall and winter season?
It’s easy when you follow some basic steps for proper fertilization and weed control that go along with your watering and soil maintenance program. This guide explains the best way to make your lawn a lush focal point by following these winterizing tips below.
5 Steps to Ready Your Lawn for Fall and Winter
The best way to keep a green lawn is to form a lawn maintenance plan and stick with it! During the fall and winter, as the grass prepares to go dormant, you need to focus on these critical steps:
1. Adjust Mower Blades
Lawn experts agree that keeping your lawn several inches long during the summer helps keep roots cool and protects delicate new growth. But once fall approaches, you need to adjust your mower blades lower.
Why? As grass growth tapers off in the fall, shorter grass forces the roots to grow deep and spread, which helps form thick, new growth in the spring. Use caution once you lower your mower blades since you never want to clip so low as to leave bald spots on your lawn.
2. Rake
Removing leaf build-up over the fall months is crucial if you want to maintain a green lawn. Thick piles of leaves cut off sunlight and gather moisture that quickly forms mold or fungus, which can damage or kill your grass.
Before winter freezes strike, rake your lawn a final time to ensure the landscape is clear of leaves and debris that could deter new grass growth in the spring.
3. Fertilize
In Texas, late fall is the best time to fertilize your lawn. After your last raking and before the first frost, spread a slow-release fertilizer over your grass. Fertilizing in the fall provides essential minerals to the root system as the granules break down over the winter months. By springtime, your lawn can burst forth with vigorous growth.
If your lawn has a weed issue, look for a fertilizer plus weed control mix best suited to your type of grass.
4. Water
Fall and winter can bring rains that keep your soil moist, which is ideal for breaking down the fertilization and weed control granules you spread on your lawn before the first freeze. If your region experiences dry spells over these colder months, take the time to water your lawn regularly to keep the soil moisture levels optimal.
Proper moisture will prevent roots from withering, which can cause patchy growth in the spring. Just remember that dormant grass is still alive and needs some TLC.
5. Remove Large/Heavy Objects
Cutting off sunlight and airflow is the quickest way to ruin your lawn. Avoid ugly patches of grass by removing anything that inhibits new growth like:
- Lawn furniture
- Yard ornaments
- Playhouses and toys
- Portable fire pits
- Grills
- Trash cans
If you leave items on your lawn over the fall and winter, the grass has little to no ability to recover and grow healthy once spring arrives.
Enjoy a Greener Lawn
Incorporating these tips into your fall and winter lawn maintenance program can bring tremendous results in how healthy and green your lawn looks all year round.
No one wants a patchy lawn full of brown spots that ruin the look of your landscape design. When you invest the time to prep your yard for fall and winter, you can enjoy a greener lawn each spring and summer!
If you have lawn maintenance questions or would rather leave the task of lawn care to an expert, please contact our team of professionals to learn more about the variety of landscape design and lawn care services we offer.