Here’s what professionals say you should do to your lawn before winter
After months of friends and family walking on it during outdoor gatherings and the scorching summer heat, your lawn needs a break. With fall approaching and winter on its way, your garden is approaching hibernation, and there are a few important steps you need to take so it can better cope with the changes ahead.
Even if you’ve been mowing your lawn incorrectly all summer, if you take action now, your garden will come back to life and look better than ever in the spring. With a little help from experts at Lowe’s and Scotts, we have the essential guide to winterizing your lawn.
1. The need for food
A fertilizer spreader ensures an even distribution over your lawn and is also useful when spreading grass seed.
Going dormant for months without proper nutrition wouldn’t bode well for anything, including your lawn. Ensuring he is properly fed is vital to his health all year round, but especially in autumn and winter.
According to Matt Koch, director of biotechnology, genetics and seed at Scotts, you want to apply fall fertilizer twice. Doing so can help strengthen the grass and repair roots damaged by the summer heat.
It is also a good time to remove weeds before they go into hibernation. Applying a fertilizer such as Scotts Peat Builder WinterGuard in early fall it feeds both the lawn and weeds, putting you ahead of the game come spring.
After about six to eight weeks, Koch suggests applying for a job another fertilizer designed to support your lawn during the winter so it can store energy for growth in the spring. He recommends doing this two to three weeks before the first expected frost.
2. Time for repairs
Bare spots in your garden can have various causes, but with a little effort and the right seed you can remedy this in no time.
Overall my lawn is in good condition. However, after some work I had done on my house, there are areas where the grass has cracked. Fall is a great time to repair those areas and other areas in your yard where the grass has died or if you simply want to overseed for a more lush garden.
According to Lowe’s lawn care expert Brian Shaunfield, fall is the perfect time to reseed or aerate bare spots because lawns tend to experience less activity as the weather cools. There isn’t always much rain at this time of year, so make sure you water your seed regularly to help it prepare for the change of season.
An aerator is the perfect tool to break up a compacted garden so the grass can grow better.
Brian recommends using it Scotts Turf Builder Rapid Grass to repair larger parts of your garden. This mix is also great for thickening an already existing garden. Try it for smaller patches Scotts EZ Seed Patch and Repair sun and shadewhich is designed to grow almost anywhere as long as it is properly cared for.
On well-established sites or in high-traffic areas, the soil can become compacted, making it difficult for the base to grow properly. This is where aerating your lawn can be helpful. There are several tools for this job, but a simple push aerator like the Garden-oriented Spike lawn aerator can take good care of it.
3. Keep mowing, but mow it shorter
Ego Power+ sells a popular line of electric lawn mowers.
During the heat of summer, when the rain has stopped falling and the soil is dry, it is a good idea to keep your lawn longer – about 4 inches. As the season changes to cooler temperatures and more favorable weather, we should continue to mow the grass but make some changes in the way we mow.
Koch says it’s important to mow your grass to about 2 to 2.5 inches, but not all at once. Lower the cutting deck of your mower gradually or program your robotic lawnmower to mow shorter as winter approaches. This reduces the risk of disease and allows the grass to store energy more effectively. However, cutting it too short has the opposite effect.
4. Rake it up
Autumn is also the period when the leaves on the trees start to turn orange, yellow and red. Eventually that beautiful leaf ends up on the ground. While rotting leaves can act as a natural fertilizer, too much can be a problem.
When layers of fallen leaves become too thick, they can smother smaller plants and grass. Plus, an abundance of leaves on your patio is an excellent place for insects to build homes – and you don’t want that near your home.
With the help of a good leaf rake or a leaf blower to clear your leaves is a great way to remove them from your delicate plants. If you have a good lawn mower that mulches, then it is fine to mow over your leaves to leave a thin layer on your lawn, but too thick a layer can be harmful. These leaves can be combined with compost to act as a natural fertilizer and mulch to help warm some plants, such as perennials and evergreens.
