Some people view winter’s snow as a comforting blanket that nourishes both their souls and the land around them. Others view falling flakes and see a destructive force that wreaks havoc on their otherwise defenseless lawns.
Regardless of your opinion of winter there are crucial steps you can take to help get your greenery through the long months and bounce back faster and healthier than in previous years.
Let’s take a look at a few winter lawn care tips that will help your grass cope with the cold.
Winter Lawn Care Tips
1.) Remove yard fixtures and debris: Almost everyone has some sort of ornament or semi-permanent fixture on their yard. Whether it’s a jungle gym in the back or fountains and garden gnomes out front the result is the same; compressed grass and brown spots every time.
Taking the time to move those items into the garage, car port or shed can save you costly sod or seeding time in the spring. And as an added bonus, you can reposition those fixtures every year for a new look. This also prevents depressions forming in the ground from the weight of the objects over time.
2.) Closer is cleaner: Overgrowth and excess clippings can have benefits… but not if you’re heading into winter. Lowering your cutting blades incrementally as we move closer to winter keeps overgrowth at bay and clippings small and manageable for composting.
The closer the cut in fall means the cleaner the lawn in spring. Just don’t over-do it or you’ll be re-seeding next year. If you grass is cropped like a golf green you’ve gone too far.
3.) Touch up the bald spots: People go to great lengths to make their style stand out. Your lawn augments your house like a new haircut plays off your favourite jacket. Unsightly bald spots can ruin the whole ensemble, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Just before the snow starts falling, or during brief thaws, brown spots can be reseeded. Grass will grow slowly during winter under the snow during a time when weeds can’t compete. Besides having a fuller lawn in spring you’ll give weeds less space and time to root.
4.) Drain your hose: It’s important to maintain the health of your lawn through winter and the tools that maintain your lawn during summer. Make sure you drain your hose out completely before the average temperature drops below freezing. If enough water is trapped inside it can freeze, expand and burst your lines meaning new and needless purchases next spring.
Additionally we have written an entire post dedicated to proper storage of your lawn mower for fall and winter. Click here to read all about Fall Lawn Mower Maintenance .
5.) Winter is a time for learning: Ultimately the tasks you can complete in winter are limited. It also makes the off-season conducive to learning. That’s why school is scheduled through winter.
Take the time to read up on lawn care information, landscaping techniques and equipment reviews to get ready for next year. Often we never get around to the things we want to do unless we plan ahead. All those gardening skills, lawn mowing patterns and new yard designs are widely available on the internet.
If you’re into learning, take a look at our list of informative articles that teach you how to maintain your lawn in any season:
Mulching Grass and Leaves: Feed Your Lawn, Top Dress Your Garden
Fall Lawn Care Tips and Clean Up
Edging, Trimming and Garden Shaping
Lawn Fertilizer: What Your Grass Needs to Grow
Herbicides, Pesticides and Bug Control: How to Kill Weeds and Bugs in Bulk
Weeding, Weed Prevention and Weed-Care
How to Seed a Lawn. Seeding, Reseeding and Sod
New Grass Mowing Patterns for Spring
Overseeding – How to Overseed a Lawn
If you want a specific topic researched, please email us and we’ll see if we can fit it into our post schedule. Keep reading. Soon we’ll go into snow removal in depth with techniques, methods, tools and de-icing materials. We’ll get through winter lawn care together at ProPower Canada.
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