During winter you need to be sure that there is no young growth on your lawn as this may make it more susceptible to pests and diseases. To do this over time, lower the the cutting blade height of your lawn mower until you are practically grazing the grass. Do this in steps over several weeks as you don’t want to abruptly take off all the leaf tissue or inflict more damage to the turf. You should not let the grass grow above two inches during the winter.
Apply fertiliser to the grass at the end of fall. Although it will not be used by the grass during the slow growth of the cold weather it will be saved in the roots and be instantly available for use by the lawn in the Spring as new growth starts. If you have bare or brown areas you can re-seed at this time. During the colder weather the grass seeds will germinate.
Remove any trash from the grass before the severest weather. This includes leaves, grass clippings, equipment, pots etc. If left in place when it starts to snow they will smother the grass under the blanket of snow and may cause damage which may make the grass vulnerable to pets and diseases. During the winter, although the lawn grass will grow very slowly weeds will grow faster so you must weekly remove weeds to prevent them from causing damage to the lawn.
As well you need to water the lawn throughout the cold weather, although less than you would in the warmer weather. For most grass varieties watering every week should be enough. Other species, e.g. rye grass, Kentucky Bluegrass and tall Fescue grow better in the winter and will need more water during this time.
Should you use a sprinkler watering system drain out all the water to stop harm during a frost. You do not want to start it up in the Spring only to find the pipes are damaged and full of holes.
With some care your grass will survive the cold weather in good shape and be healthy and green with new growth in the Spring. Winter lawn care is easy if you follow our guidelines. You’ll find more information on lawn care at lawn mower reviews.
