How To Prepare Lawn for Winter: Expert Tips for a Healthy Yard
See how the professionals will prepare your lawn before winter hits. For cool-season grasses, winter lawn care proves essential for robust growth. However, even warm-season grasses need attention to remain in good shape throughout the year. Let’s take a look at how lawn care professionals prepare a lawn for winter.
5 Steps to Prepare the Lawn for Winter
Fire up the mower and check the compost pile in preparation for the frost. Lawn care experts develop a winter prep process based on their years of experience and deep knowledge of the subject. Find the basic steps a lawn care professional will take to prepare your lawn for winter.
Step 1: Start Before the First Frost
Winter lawn care starts before the appearance of frost in the garden to prepare for the hard freeze. A licensed grass care specialist will know the best time to start performing the appropriate measures in anticipation of the long winter months. Starting early and getting ahead of the game before the frost is a crucial strategy for a lush lawn that flourishes in spring and summer.
Step 2: Mowing the Lawn
The next step to prepare the lawn for the long winter involves raking the leaves and other debris off the turf. Then use a lawn mower to cut the grass down to an inch or two, but never remove more than 33% at a time.
Mowing the grass helps a lawn expert assess the soil’s quality, and it makes it easier to care for the lawn later on. For long blades of grass, pros mow the turf down gradually to avoid distressing the plants.
Step 3: Aeration and Fertilization
Aeration loosens the compact soil after the dry, hot days of summer. Lawn care experts know the best time to drive a lawn aerator through cool-season grasses before their growth slows in the colder seasons.
After aeration, it’s a good time to raid the compost pile, fertilize the soil, and introduce other essential nutrients. This process gives the turf a head start as the roots store the nutrients until the next growing season. A well-nourished lawn also prevents infestation of weeds, diseases, and bugs.
Step 4: Soil Amendment
Soil amendments improve soil quality so the soil can retain more water, drain properly, encourage root growth, and regulate the soil pH level, among other things. Experts will take a soil test before amending the soil.
Best done during the fall, soil amendments will support the soil in the winter months, ensuring a healthy lawn in the spring. Professionals know how to amend the soil so that the turf experiences robust growth.
Step 5: Overseeding
Overseeding involves spreading grass seeds over an existing lawn to encourage new plant life and cover bare patches. A garden specialist will use a spreader or a power overseeder to distribute new seeds onto the turf. Fertilizer and watering will help the seeds to sprout at the right time.
However, overseeding is not recommended for the southern turf, so make sure to research if you should do it, depending on the area you live in.
Why Hire a Professional Lawn Care Company
Do-it-yourself lawn projects may seem like a good idea, but homeowners need to know what they are doing. Mistakes can become expensive lessons or even ruin the lawn if amateur gardeners do not follow the correct procedures. DIY projects also require a lot of time and effort and often end in frustration or dissatisfaction.
Measures to Preserve Your Lawn
Lawns need a lot of tender loving care, and homeowners can still take precautionary measures to improve their lawns' health during winter. Some of the things that can keep a lawn looking green throughout winter include:
- Remove fallen leaves and other debris from the lawn regularly.
- Avoid walking too much on the lawn and do not leave toys on the turf.
- Clear pathways so people do not walk on the lawn.
Winter Prep for Warm & Cool-Season Grasses | Heroes Lawn Care
Late fall is a busy time for most families. Let our grass expert handle your lawn preparation for winter. We will do all the mowing, aeration, fertilization, and overseeding so you can get ready for the holidays. Call Heroes Lawn Care at 844-980-LAWN to book a consultation today!
