While many people take proper steps to protect their lawn during the long summer days and scorching summer heat, there are very few that take the time to properly winterize their lawns for the cold winter months. Lawns go into a resting period during the summer to help protect them from the heat, so the cooler fall months are ideal for restoring your lawn to optimum health to prevent damage from frost, and provide a luscious lawn that will withstand the summer heat and look good all year long.
Before fertilizing your lawn for the winter months, aerate it first. By aerating, you open the soil to allow the bottom of the roots to get proper air and water. This also makes it easier for winterizing nutrients to penetrate your lawn more effectively. Soil that gets a lot of traffic gets packed down, making it hard to get nutrients where they need to be. Aerate with a self-propelled aerator or with a lawn mower that has an aerating attachment. When aerating, use the same pattern as you do when you are mowing your grass.
Rake the leaves off of your lawn. While this seems like a daunting chore for most, it is a vital step to getting your yard ready for the colder months. When you leave piles of leaves on your lawn during the winter, this aids in killing your grass. Water or ice falling on the leaves traps moisture beneath them. This will eventually lead to dead or thin spots on your lawn. It’s easier to avoid these rather than try to fix them.
You have heard numerous times that it is not good to walk on the grass. This is especially true during the winter months. Ensure that you are not constantly stepping on your grass when going in and out of the door or getting in and out of the car. During extreme cold, the grass freezes and becomes brittle and breaks and cracks easy. This causes your grass to die and makes your lawn work even harder during the spring.
The last cut of the season is extremely important. If you are unsure about when the last cut should happen, then plan to perform it at the end of November. Set your mower to cut the lawn one inch lower than you normally would. Cutting the grass low reduces the formation of fungus and keeps the grass small to prevent possible breakage. This also allows fertilizer to penetrate roots and provide nourishment to the root rather than the blade of grass.
While pruning may be recommended, it can quickly turn a healthy lawn into an unhealthy one. During the autumn months pruning should be avoided. Pruning encourages new growth, which is likely to get destroyed during the winter. This makes your lawn have to work harder during the spring months to keep growing.
Taking the time to winterize your lawn will protect it during the winter and promote healthy growth during the springtime. By winterizing your lawn, you can help ensure that you have a luscious, thick green yard come March and April.
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