Your lawn will still require some care during the winter months. If you don’t take care of it when it is cold out, you will find that it won’t be in great shape when the spring comes. Here are some ways that you can protect your lawn from the cold.
Fertilize It
Your lawn still needs fertilizer even when it’s cold out. Fortunately, this doesn’t take a lot of work. If you want to ensure that your lawn continues to grow properly once winter is over, you should use a product that’s made for both fertilization and weed control. This will allow you to keep your lawn healthy and eliminate weeds all at the same time. If you have a lawn maintenance service that takes care of your lawn for you, they can do your lawn’s fertilization and weed control during the winter months and throughout the year.
Rake Up Leaves
If you have a lot of trees in your yard, you probably will have to deal with a lot of leaves during this time of year. Don’t just leave them on the ground. They will make your lawn suffocate. These leaves can also cause your lawn to develop a disease that will make it turn brown. If the leaves aren’t wet and are small in size, you can remove them by going over them with a lawnmower that has a bag attached. For wetter and larger leaves, you will need to rake them up.
Stay Off It
Unfortunately, you need to try to stay off of your lawn during the winter months. Walking on it too much can cause it to become weak. Once it starts to warm up outside, you will notice that areas that were walked on too much will not grow as well as other areas of your lawn. Many individuals don’t use their walkways during the winter because of ice. However, you can get rid of ice without a lot of work. Rock salt can easily be applied to your sidewalk and driveway. By getting rid of the ice in these areas, you won’t have to walk on your lawn and make it susceptible to damage.
Aerate Your Lawn
You should aerate your lawn on a yearly basis. This will allow it to breathe and make it healthier overall. It can be rather difficult to try to aerate your lawn yourself. This is why you should have a lawn maintenance service do it for you. They will use special machines that will break up any turf that’s compacted. This will help your grass survive the cold winter months.
Continue to Mow Your Grass
The last thing you probably want to do is go outside to mow your grass when it’s frigid out. However, it’s important that you continue to mow it until it becomes dormant. Your grass should be no more than 2 ½ inches high. Once it grows over 3 inches, it will begin to mat. This will make it susceptible to certain diseases, and it may actually start to mold.
Make Sure it Gets Enough Water
It is important that your grass gets enough water until you get your first freeze. If you don’t want to go out there and water it each day, you should utilize an irrigation system. You can set it on a timer, and you won’t have to remember to go outside and water your lawn on a consistent basis. If you are in need of irrigation system repair, now is the time to get it fixed. Once spring hits, your lawn will need to be watered quite often. By getting irrigation system repair in the winter and not putting it off, you can make sure you are able to provide your lawn with all of the irrigation it needs after the chilly weather is over.
Remove Lawn Furniture and Toys
Don’t leave any objects on your lawn in the winter. This will cause it to die because it won’t get enough sunlight. Remove your lawn furniture and toys before the frost hits. If the items are small in size, you can easily store them in your basement or shed. Chances are that you won’t be using them anyway during this time of year. Once your grass starts growing again, you can safely put these items back on the lawn.
Now that the winter months are just about here, you need to do some things to prepare your lawn. By utilizing the above tips, you can make sure that your lawn stays healthy no matter how cold it gets outside. If you need help preparing your lawn for the winter, give Lawn & Landcare a call today. We can help you prepare your lawn and take care of it throughout the entire year. Proper lawn maintenance will ensure that your lawn is healthy no matter what time of year it is.