We are rapidly heading for the end of 2019 and winter is quickly approaching. Now is about the time to prepare your lawn for the cold, wind, and snow.
You probably already know that you should continue to mow your lawn as the weather becomes cooler. Don’t stop until the grass stops growing. If you are using cool or warm-season grass on your lawn, you may discover that you will have to mow into late fall.
Cutting The Lawn, Aerating And Fertilizing
Cut the grass shorter than you usually would do. For example, if you allow the grass to grow up to 2.5 to 3-inches in the spring, then cut it down gradually to 2-inches for to or three mowing cycles before the very last mowing job. Don’t cut the grass too short because that could result in weeds, diseases, and bare spots.
You probably are already including aerating and fertilizing your lawn in your routine. These projects should be tackled before the first frost occurs in your region. If you have never aerated your lawn, check out this Lawneq article.
The purpose of aerating the lawn is to allow it to breathe before the grass goes dormant. The activity also relieves compaction that may have occurred during the past spring and summer.
(Courtesy: Padrino Eduardo at flickr.com)
Fertilizing the lawn can be done once aeration has been achieved. Of course, the reason why fertilizing is necessary is to feed nutrients to the grass so that it can prepare for winter. Fertilizing once provides nutrients to your lawn for the entire winter because the roots of the grass absorbs and stores the stuff for the duration of the season.
When spring arrives, the grass wakes up from its slumber, taps into the stored nutrients and uses them to get a boost toward achieving its luscious green color. Doing the preliminary work prior to winter also assures that there are no weeds, pests, or diseases to plaque your lawn during spring and summer.
Keep The Lawn Clean And Prevent Too Much Traffic
Assuring that your lawn is clean as winter sets in results in a healthier lawn come spring. Make sure to gather up the fallen leaves via rake or leaf blower to prevent the lawn from suffocating during the winter and to prevent diseases from striking due to leaves that are too wet being left on the ground.
As long as the leaves are not wet or too thick, now is a good time to mulch them with the lawn mower and return their nutrients back into the lawn. Cut the leaves to pieces that are about the size of a dime if possible. If the leaves are wet and matted, use a rake to remove them.
Don’t neglect any lawn furniture you may have. It is best to remove the furniture and any debris including logs from the lawn and store the furniture and logs in the garage or shed.
When winter finally does come with its frost and while the lawn is in its dormant state, try to avoid walking on it too much. The grass, even strong grass, can become weak if walked upon too many times.
Manage The Ice And Snow During Winter
When the winter finally arrives with its ice and snow, keep the driveway, walkways and sidewalks clear to assure a safe walk to your home. It probably is a good idea to store some ice-melting product in the garage or shed to use on ice whenever it appears.
(Sources: scotts.com, thespruce.com, and Gilmour.com)
