Even though your lawn might not be as green and lush as it once was in the summer and even fall months, that doesn’t mean it’s time to stop caring for your yard completely. Although it might not require as much maintenance throughout colder months, winter lawn care is just as important as the rest of the year. Above all, remember to keep your lawn clean! This may seem like a chore when you do not see the aesthetic results you do in the summer, but winter cleanliness is crucial for your yard’s long-term health! Read on to take note of our top winter lawn care tips and tricks that will set your yard up for successful growth in the spring.
Yard Clean Up & Leaf Removal
As colder weather blows in, the first change most people notice in their yards is falling leaves. There’s a good chance that once that first leaf falls, you’ll quickly find a pileup on your lawn. You’ll need to continuously blow off or rake these leaves so the leaf matter does not suffocate your grass and inhibit growth in the spring. Monitoring the leaves in your yard is such an important part of winter lawn care preparation! Wet leaves can also lead to disease and mold if left lying on top of your grass for too long. If you are busy and don’t have a regular lawn maintenance service helping out with leaf removal, don’t worry – it is okay to leave about 10 to 20% leaf coverage at any given time. Just be sure to keep an eye on the extent of your leaf matter so that you can prevent damage before it goes too far!
Another way to deal with leaf pileup is the mulching method. This is super easy to do as long as you have a lawnmower at home. The key is simply to ensure leaves get chopped up into very small pieces, which in many cases means mowing over your leaf-filled lawn two or three times rather than just once. When the leaves are successfully mulched into your lawn, their nutrients can benefit your grass and soil.
Winter Lawn Care Precautions
It is also beneficial to lower the height of your mower toward the end of fall and the beginning of winter when you are completing your final mows of the year. Excessively long grass can suffocate itself in the winter similar to the effect of a leaf-covered lawn. On the flip side, grass that is cut too short can expose the crown, or base, of your grass to harsh winter elements that may complicate growth in the spring.
Our final winter lawn care precaution comes once temperatures dip closer to freezing. When you notice your grass becoming a little frosty in the mornings, we recommend avoiding too much lawn traffic. Even the strongest grass can be worn down quickly if it is tread over too often while frozen. If you have a lot of lawn furniture or extra fire logs sitting on your grass, we would also recommend shifting the weight and position of these items so they do not create dead or dull spots around your yard.
So remember, lawn care doesn’t end in the winter! Especially not in warmer southern areas like our home in Charlotte, NC. Try our recommended tips to keep your lawn healthy year-round, and if you are looking for professional lawn care and maintenance, we’re here to help! MetroGreenscape offers a monthly maintenance program that includes routine lawn mowing as well as services like fertilization, aeration, weed control, sod installation, and more. Contact our landscaping experts at MetroGreenscape today to learn more about our lawn care and maintenance services.
