With the fall season ending, you’ll want to prepare your yard for winter weather. Follow these lawn care tips for winter to keep your grass happy and healthy year-round:
• Adjust Mower Blade Height
• Aerate and Fertilize
• Keep it Clean
• Protect your lawn
• Weed Any Weeds
If you mow your lawn yourself, you’ll want to gradually lower the blades on your mower as we get closer to winter.
Having shorter-cut grass heading into winter will help reduce debris and prevent diseases.
Depending on the type of grass you have, you should mow it down to around two inches. Grass that is too short can go into shock, while grass that is too tall can develop snow mold.
You’ll also want to aerate and fertilize your yard ahead of winter weather.
Aerating and fertilizing your lawn before the first freeze will allow fertilizer to go down the aerated paths helping to protect the roots during cold weather.
Make sure you are using the right tool to aerate your lawn. There are several types to choose from, most of which fall into core aeration or spike aeration methods.
Clean your lawn of any debris and leaves ahead of winter weather. Piled leaves can smother your lawn, which can inhibit its growth in the spring. Wet leaves can result in snow mold disease, among other diseases that can damage your lawn.
If your leaves are not yet wet, you can mulch them back into your grass by going over them with a lawn mower. You can also move the leaves to your garden to protect the roots of plants and shrubs from the cold.
If you don’t get around to raking your lawn, leaves left behind become habitats for insects. Delay raking those leaves in early spring so you don’t disturb their ecosystem.
Be sure to store your outdoor furniture indoors during the winter to extend use.
Be prepared to protect your lawn throughout winter by providing a path that can get you to and from your front door to your car, street, and anywhere else on your property. Walking on your grass repeatedly when it is frosted or dormant can cause it to become weak.
Make sure those paths stay clear to prevent any unwanted injuries. The best way to do so is by clearing snow before it freezes and then applying a de-icing agent to prevent ice from forming.
Plants that don’t belong in your lawn and garden can grow during the winter and take over in the spring by sucking up the necessary water and minerals needed to grow. Be sure to pull weeds and apply weed control to your yard toward the beginning of winter to prevent that from happening. Identifying the type of weed you have can help you choose the right weed control product to best get rid of them.
Preparing your yard by following these lawn care tips for winter can make it ready to flourish when spring arrives.
Make sure your grass is cut to the correct height, your lawn is aerated, fertilized, and clean of debris, your paths are cleared, and weed control is applied.
Do you have a sprinkler system in your yard? Be sure to winterize it! For more information, read “How To Winterize Your Irrigation System for Kansas Winters.”
