Finishing Touches Before Your Lawn’s Winter Nap


Late fall is your last chance to take care of some details that will prepare your lawn for a healthy winter and give it a strong leg up next spring. If you’ve been putting off putting your lawn to bed for the winter months, we strongly suggest doing it now.

Tips For Tucking In Your Lawn

Lower the height of your mower. Your lawn should enter winter without any young, tender growth that could make it more appealing to winter diseases, like snow mold. New soft growth on the lawn is also more prone to dry out after the first winter winds come through, which leaves you with a tan or brown lawn all winter. So, as late fall approaches, begin to gradually bring the cutting height down on your mower, until you are almost, but not quite scalping the lawn.

Its important to do this in several steps to avoid suddenly removing all the green leaf tissue and damaging the turf.

Don’t Miss A Late Fall Fertilization

This is a time of year when your lawn can really chow down and make quick and good use of fertilizer. The lawns top growth has slowed, so these nutrients go straight to the roots for a strong start next spring. Your turf actually converts the fertilizer into food reserves and loads up its root system so its ready, willing and able to get a quick (and healthy) start in spring.

Remove Leaves And Other Debris From Lawn

Before snow or other winter weather hits and buries the evidence, take the time to go over the lawn one more time. Leaving debris on the lawn can smother the grass and create problems with winter or early spring diseases.

If the lawn has not been aerated, there may still be time. Aeration is very effective as long as the soil is not frozen. In other words, as long as we can still pull a good core, your lawn will directly benefit. Late fall aeration gives the plugs we pull plenty of time to melt down and to get thatch decomposing. Be sure your mower and other lawn equipment has been winterized to save grief in the spring.

Late fall and winter are great times to discuss your lawn care program for spring. Making a few decisions early might even save you money! After all, if winter is here, spring can't be far behind!