Who doesn’t like the tempting idea of staying inside and cozy during the winter season? Going out and taking lawn care in winter sounds tiring and many of us find it scary too. In actuality, it is not as hard work as you expect. With a few tips and techniques, your lawn will stay as good as it was in the summer.
This Article Will Cover
Today our article is about how to take care of your lawn in the winter season. So first things first,
What Happens To Grass In Winter?
We all know winters are chilly and grass doesn’t remain the same during winters. Lawn care in winter highly depends on what type of grass your lawn has and what is the condition of the grass. Summer grass is different from winter grass.
Summer grass is greener and fresh during summer. But as soon as the winter season arrives, you will notice a visible difference in both the color and growth of the grass. The reason is temperature. In cold temperatures, the grass tends to wither down due to frost and ice.
While the scenario with winter grass is different. It withers down during summers. So for lawn care of winter grass, you must sow the seeds again in winter. This way it can flourish again and will nurture better and greener. It’s like renewing it after summer damage.
6 Easy Steps To Take Care of the Lawn In Winter
As we have already mentioned that lawn care in winter highly depends on what type of grass your lawn has. Here are a few tips to protect and maintain your lawn
Overseed Your Lawn During Winters
If your lawn has summer grass, it needs to be renewed in winter. For this, you need to overseed it in the first week of October. This way, your lawn grass will be ready again in time.
Grass takes at least 30 days to grow so late sowing can mess up the time frame during which grass grows. After sowing seeds, shield the grass with a layer of topsoil or straw to safeguard it from birds.
Use Colorants
In winter, the grass looks paler in shade. So adding turf colorant can give your lawn a fresh view. Turf colorants are quite common and harmless. People use them to give their grass a lush look.
Water Your Lawn Properly
Even if your grass is inactive during winter, you need to water it. In the next section below we will discuss it in detail.
Mowing Your Lawn Is A Must
In winter, usually, the grass doesn’t grow much but it still needs mowing. Although wise people mow lawns right before the start of the winter season. Still, if you have missed your chance, it’s never late. However, before mowing your lawn in winter, make sure your lawn is dry or your grass can go dormant permanently.
Avoid Walking On Your Lawn
Walking on wet grass can damage the roots of grass causing it to die. Frosted grass withers and breaks quickly when you walk on it. So to avoid that, protect the grass from unnecessary pressure.
Don’t Use Salt
In winter, frosting and ice are common factors that affect your plant’s health and growth. Many people use salt for defrosting. However, salt can change the PH of soil causing your grass to die. So in plants and especially grass, use plant-friendly de-icing products.
Should I Water My Lawn In The Winter?
Yes! You should. Although the grass doesn’t need much water in winter, still watering the lawn in winter will safeguard the roots from getting frosted thus preventing breakage. Keep a few things in mind before watering the lawn in winter
- Water your lawn only once a week. Over-watering the lawn in winter will keep the grass moist for longer periods. This could cause fungus growth.
- Don’t water if it’s already raining or rain is forecasted.
- We recommend watering the lawn in winter during the daytime, giving the soil enough temperature and time to absorb it.
- As the water freezes during chilly nights, watering your lawn late in the evening can cause frosting in the grass.
Should I Fertilize My Lawn in The Winter
If you don’t know about winter fertilizers, here is the answer. Winter fertilizer is a treatment given to grass to support and ensure its root health. With proper winter fertilizers, the roots absorb the nutrients during winter which safeguards them from withering and help the grass to regrow during the spring season.
Fertilizing could be the best strategy when talking about lawn care in winter. However, this depends on the type of grass on your lawn. If you live in a hot region and have summer grass on a lawn, it is obvious that grass will go static during winter. So there is no point in fertilizing and your money will go to waste.
On the other hand, if you are planning to over-seed your lawn with winter grass, fertilizers will help the grass roots to absorb nutrients and grow well.
Also, winter fertilizers are an important factor to make sure how good your grass will grow again in spring.
Winter fertilizers are used at the end of the fall season, most preferably in your last mow before the winter season. November is the best to go for it.
Choose A Winter Fertilizer Best For Your Lawn
Whatever winter fertilizer brand you choose, it must have two ingredients. Nitrogen and Potassium. Nitrogen provides the food while potassium nurtures the grass. Usually, the ratio of Nitrogen to Potassium is 1:2 in most winter fertilizers. Some brands also use Phosphorus along with the above two. Phosphorus safeguards the plants from winter wilting and helps the plants to grow faster.
For proper lawn care in winter, Here are some tips about using winter fertilizer effectively.
- Always use the water-soluble and quick-release formula of winter fertilizer for fast absorbency and better results.
- Before using winter fertilizer, hire lawn care services to check for your soil potassium levels. Although you can do the test yourself it’s better to go for professional services.
- Don’t apply winter fertilizer late during winter. Stick to the November routine. Applying it in December is not useful.
- Whatever the package says, use less than the recommended amount.
Winter fertilizers surely boost overall plant health but if you take proper care of your lawn during summer, it may not be necessary.
So these were the few tips and tricks on how to take care of the lawn in winter. We hope they are useful for you. With timely effective measures, your lawn can stay greener and protected from winter dormancy. Stay tuned for more articles about lawn care.