It’s finally fall, which means the leaves are changing color and the temperature is dropping. Soon, winter will be here and it’s important to prepare your lawn for the cold weather. In this blog post, we will give you 10 tips on how to get your lawn ready for winter. Follow these tips and your lawn will stay healthy all winter long!
How to Prepare Your Lawn For Winter
1. Rake up leaves and debris
Once the trees start to shed their leaves, make sure to regularly rake them up and remove the leaves from your lawn. This will prevent dead spots from forming due to the decomposing leaves blocking sunlight and suffocating the grass underneath.
2. Aerate your lawn
Aeration reduces compaction in your lawn by removing small plugs of soil so water and nutrients can get down into the root zone more easily. You should do this every fall before winter arrives as it helps stimulate healthy new growth in spring.
3. Apply a winter fertilizer
Fertilizing your lawn in fall ensures that beneficial nutrients reach the grass roots during the cold months when there’s not much growth happening above ground. A slow-release nitrogen fertilizer is best for winter lawn care.
4. Cut your grass one last time
The final mowing of the season should be completed before winter arrives, with the blade set at a higher level than usual to avoid scalping in windy weather.
5. Clean up garden beds and ponds
Remove any dead plants from your flower beds, trim overgrown trees and shrubs, winterize fountains or water features, and check pond filters to make sure debris won’t clog them during the cold months.
6. Prune trees and shrubs
Fall (and winter) is an ideal time to prune many deciduous trees and shrubs, as this encourages strong growth next spring when they come out of dormancy.
7. Winterize irrigation systems
Make sure to have your system professionally winterized (commonly referred to as a blow-out), during this service the water lines, valves and sprinkler heads are emptied to avoid freeze damage over winter.
8. Protect tender plants
If you have any sensitive plants that can’t survive outdoors during the winter months, make sure you bring them inside and give them a cozy spot in your home until spring arrives again.
9. Apply mulch
Applying a thick layer of mulch around your trees and shrubs in your landscape beds helps insulate the root zone during cold weather. It also retains moisture in the soil once the ground does eventually thaw.
By following these 9 tips, you can easily prepare your lawn for winter and ensure that it’s healthy come spring time! If you need help from a top-rated company serving Suffolk County, contact the experts at MSG Lawn Care today.
