Winter Lawn Care

Before the cold weather you should ensure that there is no new growth on your lawn as this may cause it to be likely to succumb to pests and diseases. To do this over time, decrease the the cutting blade height of your lawnmower until you are just about shaving the grass. Do this in stages over the course of a few weeks as you do not want to abruptly remove all the leaf tissue or cause extra damage to the grass. You should not leave the grass longer than 2 inches for the cold weather.

Administer top dressing to the lawn at the end of fall. Even though this won't be used by the lawn during the slow growth of the winter it will be reserved in the roots and will be instantly usable by the lawn in the Spring as new growth starts again. Re-seed brown or bare areas during the Fall. During the cold weather the seeds will begin to sprout.

Remove any debris from the lawn before the severest weather. This may include leaves, logs, equipment, pots etc. If left in place when it starts to snow these will cover the grass under the covering of snow and may cause damage which can make the lawn more likely to succumb to disease. During the colder weather, although the lawn grass grows more slowly weeds will grow faster so you must regularly take out weeds to stop them from causing damage to the turf.

Also you need to water the lawn throughout the cold season, although not as much as you would during the Summer or Spring. For most types of grass watering each week should be sufficient. Other species, for example tall Fescue, rye grass and Kentucky Bluegrass grow well in the cold season and need watering and fertilising during this time.

If you use a sprinkler system drain out all the water to stop damage when below freezing. You do not want to get it out the following Spring only to find the pipes are damaged and full of holes.

With some care your grass will get through the winter in the best shape and emerge healthy and green with new growth in the Spring.  Winter lawn care is not hard if you stick to our guidelines. You'll find more information on lawn care and lawn mowers at lawn mower reviews.