Many homeowners are tempted to forget about their lawn throughout the winter months.  Whilst this is understandable during the wet and cold period; maintaining your turf during this time is important.  Grass that is in good condition when the warmer weather arrives will pick up sooner and look great right through the summer.  By following the five tips below you can give your lawn a helping hand during the winter.

Making the cut

Whilst grass will go fairly dormant throughout the colder months, it does still grow a little and will need cutting.  Your best option is to cut the turf shorter than you usually do in order to minimise the number of times you need to get the mower out.  Never set the cutters to less than 0.5 inches, or you risk scalping the grass and leaving it over exposed to the cold weather.

Keeping it cleared

Remember to remove any items for lawn when the weather turns bad.  This should include children’s toys, slides and any flower pots.  If you don’t the grass will become very pale underneath and possibly even die off; leaving you with patches come spring.  You should also brush away any leaves or branches that fall and which can act as an ideal home to damaging pests such as mice and insects.

Just add water

As crazy as it may sound; your lawn turf may well need some watering throughout winter.  This is especially the case if the weather remains very cold for long spells and the water in the soil is frozen.  Likewise if there is an extended dry spell you may want to switch on the sprinkling system or get out your trusty hose.

Keeping it aerated               

Try your best to aerate your lawn before the first freeze of the winter arrives.  This should be done by using a spiking tool or of course you can use your normal garden fork.  Make sure that you repeat this process two or three more times through the course of the winter; providing of course the ground isn’t too hard.

Dealing with snow

Whether you love it or hate it, there is a good chance that you are going to have some snow on your lawn at some point throughout the winter.  If the snow is only going to be there for a short time then it shouldn’t really cause any damage.  However, large quantities of snow that is present for a long time will often result in the lawn becoming compacted.  When the snow freezes it can also cause damage to the roots of the grass.  If the weather forecast predicts a cold spell after the snow has arrived then it is a good idea to clear away most of it whilst you do your drive and pathways.  Make sure that you don’t let any de-icing salt go on the grass when spreading it around your property, as it will cause the turf to die off.

John Palmer is a keen gardener who likes to help others get the best results from their garden.  John hopes that his guidance on winter lawn turf care will be of assistance to you.

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