Some people find mowing their lawn therapeutic. They get to spend time outside listening to their favorite music and enjoying the fresh smell of cut grass. On the other hand, some people don’t look forward to mowing their lawn because they would rather be doing something else or may have seasonal allergies. Whether you’re a lawn care enthusiast or not, one fact remains true—the winter is when you spend the least amount of time thinking about your lawn.
Before storing your lawnmower for the winter, there are a few things you need to take care of first. Don’t let the hard work you’ve put into your lawn all year go to waste when the harsh snow starts to fall. Here are some tips to help you keep your lawn luscious and green for when spring rolls around.
Fertilize Your Grass
Late fall and early winter are optimal times to fertilize cool-season grasses. The majority of lawns in North America boast cool grasses such as bluegrass and Bermuda grass, so your yard probably has a cool grass blend. Before the first snowfall of the season, treat your lawn to fertilizer. This helps replace all the nutrients that were lost from the scorching summer months.
Once your lawn is coated in snow, the fertilizer will remain in your lawn’s soil and provide nutrients to your lawn’s roots throughout the winter. When winter subsides, and spring is in full bloom, your lawn will be full of healthy, lush grass that has been feeding on quality fertilizer underneath the blankets of snow.
Minimize Lawn Traffic
During the winter, your lawn will be sporting grass that is short and brown, and it will be easy for visitors to forget that your grass shouldn’t be trodden on. Try your best to prevent foot traffic on your winter lawn, as this will cause irreversible damage to your grass. Your kids will especially see your short grass as an invitation to run across the yard, so remind them to use the sidewalk as a path exclusively.
Grass is resilient, but it may not be able to fully recover if it becomes too worn down during a time when it’s already sensitive. Remember to keep your sidewalks cleared of ice and snow so that you and your guests won’t be tempted to walk across your lawn. Most importantly, don’t use your lawn as a parking lot since it’s the fastest way to kill your healthy grass, and your lawn will end up with unwanted crabgrass and malicious weeds. Even a small car will leave impressions on your lawn’s soil and wither down the grass that is underneath the tires, so it’s best to avoid parking on your grass altogether.
Although you may be happy to store away your lawnmower, caring for your lawn before winter arrives is the last good deed you can do for your grass for the rest of the year. For all your lawn fertilization and weed control needs, contact Summit Lawn Pest Control.
