With shorter days ahead of us, it’s time to put a pin in the lawn care season. Although, there are still several ideas and tasks to take into consideration. Here are a few ways to prepare your lawn for this upcoming winter.
Remove Leaves
Dealing with fallen leaves is one of the only negatives about autumn. It’s tempting to throw in the towel when the yard is full of leaves; however, that’s when the fun truly begins. Leftover leaves and other debris on your grass won’t be noticeable when it’s dead and covered in snow. But the side effects are apparent before those April showers come rolling in.
Snow mold can occur, which is a definite eyesore and a pain to eradicate. Furthermore, it’s not like the leaves are magically going to blow away, so it’s better to be proactive in November rather than reactive in April. Your lawn will thank you.
Cut It Short
To prevent that annoying snow mold, you’ll want to set your mower lower than usual. Putting the blades two inches shorter will protect your grass from attracting funguses and keep it greener longer. Be sure you check the blades to make sure they are sharp enough to get the best cut possible, or else all this preventative care will be for naught.
Pull Weeds
Few things are more unsightly than weeds, especially when they turn into dandelions. Their seeds will spread throughout the soil and took root, siphoning off precious water and nutrients. Like leaf removal, being proactive is the key, and pulling weeds and prepping the lawn for winter will minimize the growth of unwanted plants.
Fertilize Thoroughly
Generally, you want to ration off your fertilizing since too much will actually harm the grass during the summer. However, with winter coming, that is no longer a concern because it will die anyway. A few weeks after storing the lawnmower, you can get out the fertilizer. Your grass will thank you for feeding it during this trying time, rewarding you with luscious green topgrowth once it’s free from snow.
Aerate
If you’re a golfer, then you’ve seen those little holes on the fairway that left behind by groundskeepers to aerate the grass and soil. The purpose of aerating is to stimulate and protect roots, dimishing impacted soil around them. You can aerate your yard with a machine, or you can get some special aerating shoes with spikes on the soles and stomp the grass. Doing this task bright and early when a morning dew yields the best results, seeing as dry ground is harder to penetrate.
Following these ways to prepare your lawn for this upcoming winter gives you a head start on being the homeowner with the perfect property. Be the envy of the neighborhood!
