This often suits our needs in the winter as well.
Its true that your lawn wont require nearly as much maintenance during the winter as the warmer months.
However, completely neglecting your lawn in the winter can cause your grass to become diseased and patchy.
This will keep it from becoming overrun with weeds and holes.
In this article
1.
Keep an eye on the weather to remain aware of when your home will experience frost.
Then set a date to aerate your lawn before this cooler weather strikes.
Aerating the lawnhelps to relieve any compaction the grass might have built up during the growing season.
It also allows more air to get down to the roots.
This creates space in the earth for overseeding or dormant seeding.
When spring comes, the grass draws from those nutrients that were preserved in the roots.
you should probably fertilize before the ground freezes for the winter.
you might do this at the same time that you aerate the lawn.
Try not to miss this window of opportunity.
If you fertilize when the ground is already frozen, the fertilizer will likely wash away and be wasted.
If you experience a thaw after an unexpected cold snap, you still have the chance to fertilize.
Clear It Off
Keep your lawn clear of fallen leaves and other debris that piles up in the fall.
This debris could suffocate the grass and make it grow back spotty.
Wet leaves could also bring in disease, decay, and mold, breaking down your healthy grass.
These will then naturally recycle themselves back into the grass.
In most climates, you will find yourself moving into the late fall.
This will keep the longer grass strands from smothering the crowns during the winter.
When overseeding, purchase grass suitable for cold weather.
Most fescue grasses will work.
Its also important not to let the seeds dry out, so keep it moist and water when needed.
This includes any toys or hobby crafts and large empty planters on the lawn.
At the same time, clear out any standing water that could breed mosquitoes in the yard.
To care for the dormant grass, try not to walk on it too much.
Foot traffic can weaken even strong, healthy grass.
This will make alternate paths through the frosty grass much less inviting.
Spot treat the weeds when you see them pop up to keep them from spreading in the spring.
The lawn at this point might be muddy, brown, and patchy.
Seeding into these muddy patches will give the dormant seed the chance to anchor into the ground.
More freezing and thawing will also help to settle the seeds into the soil.
check that that the seeds make direct contact with bare soil.
It helps if the soil is loose or raked before seeding.
Then, once you nail laid down the seeds, lightly rake the surface again to cover them.
For fully dormant water, stop irrigating, particularly when the temperatures drop into freezing.
Pay attention to whether your grass is snowy from the winter weather or just dry.
Snow can actually protect your lawn from harsher aspects of the winter.
The snow insulates the grass.
Conversely, uncovered grass will lose moisture in very cold temperatures and dry out.
