Putting Your Lawn To Bed For Winter
Now that the calendar says November, it is time to prepare your lawn for the cold and snow of winter and a healthy awakening in spring
Mowing
Lawns left too tall over the winter encourage disease problems like snow mold and tunneling of meadow mice. Mow one final time at 1¾-2 inches.
Aerating
Provides several valuable benefits to fall lawns including:
- Strengthening the root system and allowing the roots to shoot deeper. This helps the lawn prepare for the colder winter temperatures.
- It allows water and fertilizer to penetrate deeper into the soil where it does the most good.
- The plugs left behind after aeration will decompose and further fertilize the lawn.
Fertilization
Fall fertilization is very important to the health of your lawn.
- It strengthens the plant’s roots for better survival of the cold, snow and ice of winter.
- Fall fertilization also promotes earlier spring greenup of lawns.
- Apply a slow release fertilizer high in Potassium to feed the roots before complete dormancy.
Remove Leaves and Debris
A thick layer of leaves left on the lawn over winter can create poor air circulation which can cause disease and winter kill.
Dormant Seeding
This process involves putting down seed while the ground is not frozen, yet cold enough so germination of the grass seed will not occur.
- This allows the seed to germinate once the soil reaches the necessary germination temperature
- Best results occur when slit seed ¼” deep in the soil.
- With the seed already planted, there is no waiting in spring for the site to be prepared for sowing the seed.
- Because lawn seeds germinate at a slightly lower soil temperature than many weeds, the turf seed will get a “jump” on the weeds.
- The lawn seed you dormant seeded will not germinate until spring, wait 2-3 mowings before applying weed killers of any kind.
Preparing a lawn for winter gives it the best chance of not only surviving the dry, cold, months, but also thriving with more new growth in the spring and summer.