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How To Ensure Your Grass Stays Healthy This Winter

Preparing the lawn for winter will keep the grass healthy so that it’s spring-ready. Depending on whether it’s cool-season or warm-season grass, winter affects your lawn differently. Cool-season grasses obviously thrive in the winter’s cooler temperatures. Of course, that’s only if the freezing temperatures aren’t too frequent. 

Meanwhile, warm-season grasses only retain their green coloring if temperatures remain at a minimum of 55 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s because they prefer warm climates.

Special lawn care helps to ensure that your grass stays healthy this winter when rainfall provides natural watering and temperature dips.

Check out some special winter grass care tips below.

1. Catch The Clippings But Mow Less

During the cooler months, the growth habits of the grass will be slower. Limiting the mowing in line with it is one of the best grass treatment tips for the winter.

To make sure that the blades that are freshly cut aren’t suffocated, keep your mower on catch mode. Doing so will help in maximizing the amount of winter sun the blades will capture. As a result, you can keep your lawn in peak condition.

Also, avoid weed overgrowth by creating a weekly weeding plan. Weeds tend to thrive in the wet and cold weather. They don’t go dormant during winter, so prepare your walk behind string trimmer. Check out walk behind string trimmer reviews to find the very best option for you.

2. Water Your Lawn

A week without rainfall can easily turn your grass from green to brown. That’s why even during rainy winters, you shouldn’t forget or neglect watering your lawn. Each week, the grass should typically get one to two inches of water.

Of course, the weekly watering can be skipped when it rains. But on dry weeks, it’s essential to water the grasses deeply. To prevent fungal diseases from developing, make sure your lawn is dry just before the sun goes down by watering it in the morning.

Walking across your grass is an easy way to tell whether or not it’s enjoying enough water. If you leave footprints, then it probably needs more water.

3. Fertilize Your Lawn

There are three major nutrients that lawns need to be healthy:

  • Potassium (K) – This contributes to the lawn’s general health.
  • Phosphorus (P) – This improves the grass’ root growth.
  • Nitrogen (N) – This helps the lawn to achieve dense green top growth.
  • Iron, zinc, and some other micronutrients are also essential for the health of lawns. 

All these nutrients can be supplied by fertilizers this winter. Fertilize cool-season lawns in fall, while the grass is still growing and when temperatures are cooling. For warm-season lawns, it’s best to fertilize them in spring when the days are long, the temperature is warm and the grass is growing actively.

Lightly water your lawn to move the applied fertilizer off the grass’ blades and down into the soil after you’re finished spreading.

Follow the directions as indicated on the label whenever you use fertilizer. Remember that more isn’t necessarily better, and that if you deviate from the instructions you could risk damaging the grass.

4. Lawn Aeration

If you can’t push a screwdriver several inches into the soil of your lawn easily, then you need to invest in aerating in. As you might know, the soil can compact over time due to regular walking on grass. When the soil does this, fertilizer, water and oxygen will have a hard time finding their way to the roots.

Wait until you’ve just watered your lawn and it’s damp, before a cool day’s first frost during the winter, and then aerate the soil.

Push across your lawn. You can either rent a power core aerator or use a device that can puncture small holes in your lawn’s soil, if you have one. If you’re not sure how to go about properly aerating your lawn, calling a lawn care provider isn’t a bad idea.

Final Thoughts

Low levels of sunlight, heavy soaking, weeds and frost; these conditions inspire humans to rug up, stay covered, and rest up. Grass on your lawn, however, enters survival mode and needs your help to stay healthy in the winter. Follow the abovementioned tips to ensure optimal grass health and a beautiful lawn.

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