Prepare your lawn for winter

Prepare your lawn for winter

To ensure a rich green lawn next spring, it is crucial to prepare your lawn for winter. After summer, it is likely that your lawn needs a little help to recover. Some patches of the grass may be yellow, dry or even dead. With the right care, the damage of dry summer months can be repaired. There are a few simple, yet vital, steps to follow to revitalise your lawn for fresh green grass the following year.
 

Winter lawn preparations

To ensure green grass all-over, it is advised to start preparing your lawn for winter in the beginning of fall:

• The first step to prepare your lawn for winter is to cut the grass down low to about 1 inch;
• Next, the top layer filled with dead grass, leaves and moss should be removed. This way the grass can get enough sunlight again;
• After the grass is cut short and cleared up, it is time to aerate the grass, which is an essential part of winter lawn preparations. Aerating your lawn allows for enough oxygen to reach the roots of the grass. It can be done with an aerator rake, as well as with more heavy machinery;
• If summer has done quite some damage to your lawn, it is good to sow fresh grass seeds on patches heavily dried out during summer. If watering your lawn does not revitalize it at all, it might even be time for a new carpet of grass;
• Finally, it is time to top-dress your lawn with a mixture of compost and fertilizer to provide it with enough nutrition to last winter and grow strong again next spring.
   

Maintaining your lawn in winter

After winter preparations, your lawn is ready to endure cold weather and frost. Your lawn does not need to be mown during winter, nor do you have to water it. If you live in a cool climate, it is better even to stop irrigation completely. What is important, however, is to rake the grass consistently throughout fall. Prevent leaves from cluttering your lawn and keep it cleared up to grow next spring.