Expert Contributor by TJ Warner JHL Landscaping Photos courtesy of JHL Landscaping
Winter Lawn Care Tips Hopefully you have already aerated and fertilized your lawn before the first frost. Aeration prevents compacting of the soil, which greatly affects your lawn’s ability to grow. One of the most important things you can do to care for your lawn in winter is to keep foot and any other traffic on your lawn to a bare minimum. Along those same lines, only mow your lawn if it is absolutely necessary. For instance, avoid cutting your grass if there is frost on it or even just rain in the cooler months. Keep the grass height a little longer than you usually do in the warmer months, to give your lawn a healthy head start in the spring.
Another school of thought advises that starting in September, slowly lower your mower blade as winter approaches, so that your lawn is fairly short during the winter, to prevent moles and other rodents from using it as a shelter. Choose which process works best for your lawn, depending on whether rodents or general lawn health is a major concern. Also, winter is the perfect time to get your mower serviced. It is also crucial to remove any toys or lawn furniture from the grass during the winter, to give those areas a rest and a chance to grow. Branches, leaves and other yard debris may continue to fall onto your grass in the winter, so it is very important to remain diligent in terms of removing everything that falls, whether it’s organic or inorganic. That weight sitting on your grass for longer than a few days could prevent it from breathing and resting, which is what you want it to do during the colder months. Salting sidewalks and driveways during ice and snow can be a lifesaver, preventing slips and falls. However, salt is the opposite of a lifesaver for your grass because it can undo so much of the hard work you’ve put into having a beautiful lawn. Don’t shovel or plow snow and ice that’s full of salt onto your lawn. If and when you absolutely must salt your hard surfaces, use calcium chloride-based mixtures, which are less harmful to your grass. Your lawn requires much less upkeep during the winter, no mowing or weeding, so it is even more important to take these few simple steps to help your lawn live, grow and be beautiful and lush in the spring! NS
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