5 Easy Steps to Prepare your Lawns & Gardens for Winter
All the hard work that you did on your lawn during the Spring & Summer months gets tested during the chilly winter seasons. But, with a little groundwork, you can skip ahead in taking care of your lawn and garden during the peak winters. To substantiate even grass growth in the next summer, you must start taking care of your lawn during the fall months.
It’s best to get started on simple lawn care in Puyallup now, and then it will be easier to maintain once the warm weather returns.
Lawn Maintenance during Winters
Clean and get rid of debris
At the end of the season, leaves fall off trees, and perennial plants die off. Therefore, you must remove and clean all of these dead leaves that are coming into contact with your lawn; otherwise, their presence may smother it. Consequently, dead patches will appear wherever the debris has accumulated. To dispose of this debris, mulch it and add it to your compost bin.
Eliminate weeds
In the spring, weeds left untreated in the lawn and garden will return with a vengeance. Seeds of these weeds will spread more widely, and they will monopolize resources like water and nutrients.
Weed removal to keep your plants healthier is one of the most important things you can do to maintain your yard, and removing them from garden beds also makes planting in the spring much easier.
Mow Low
Grass can be aerated and composted more easily when it is cut down to 1 to 1.5 inches.
To avoid stressing your plants in the winters, mow your grass incrementally over a few mowings with no more than one-third of the grass blade at a time. Also, make sure you cut grass only when it’s dry with no visible snow or ice to prevent damaging the greens.
Aerate
The best time to aerate your lawn is before the temperatures drop, preferably during the fall months. Even when it is still a little warm outside, the ground can be easily penetrated. Aeration of the lawn promotes root growth and strengthens the roots. Taking this step will ensure that the roots of your lawn remain healthy throughout the winter, allowing it to enter dormancy in the best shape possible.
Fertilize plants ahead of winter
The application of fall lawn fertilizer is an essential part of winter lawn care. The timing is approximately one to two weeks after your last mowing and aeration, just before the ground freezes and the weather turns cold.
If you are laying down new grass seed in early fall, winter fertilizers are particularly important for providing nutrients.
Conclusion
Prepare your lawn for winter and give it the best chance possible to emerge healthy in the spring and summer. These steps can help prepare your lawn for the impending winter months, regardless of whether you’re a DIYer or are into hiring a professional lawn care provider.
Call in experts from Lawn Pros Maintenance for the best lawn service in Puyallup.
