Bitterly cold weather can be very harsh on many aspects of your lawn. For example, many warm-weather plants can’t survive cold temperatures if their bulbs are left in the ground all winter. Here are some important tips on how to prepare your lawn for winter during the fall.
1. Mow Your Yard
Just because the temperatures are starting to get cooler it doesn’t mean that you can put away the mower until next spring. You should continue to mow your grass as long as it keeps growing. Keeping your grass trimmed will make your lawn more attractive during the winter. Furthermore, it will make it a lot easier when raking leaves out of your yard.
2. Plant Grass Seed Over Bare Spots
With winter approaching you might not think of fall as a good time to plant grass seed. However, the cooler temperatures and additional moisture make it an excellent time to reseed your yard – especially bare spots where you can’t seem to get grass to grow. Make sure that you loosen the soil before spreading grass seed over it. Then, add some mulch or straw to keep hungry birds from eating up your grass seed. Don’t forget to water the seed until the grass is well-established.
3. Fertilize Your Lawn
Cold weather can be really hard on your lawn’s turf. One way to help protect it is by adding a fall fertilizer. Fertilizing your lawn in the fall will also help make it healthier the following spring.
4. Remove Leaves
Raking up leaves is about more than just making your yard look more attractive. Large leaves can actually damage your grass by smothering it. Many people use a leaf blower to get rid of leaves – although an old fashioned rake will still do the job. You can also mow leaves and then collect the clippings to use as mulch.
5. Save Summer Bulbs
Depending on how cold it gets where you live, you might need to dig up summer bulbs to store them during the winter. Otherwise, bitterly cold temperatures could kill your bulbs if you leave them in the ground all winter. For example, elephant ear and canna bulbs should be stored someplace warm if your average outdoor temperatures are below freezing during the winter.
6. Add Mulch
Adding mulch to your lawn can help protect your plants from cold weather. Mulch helps keep your soil warmer by insulating it. You should add mulch after your first hard freeze around the base of your shrubs and trees.
7. Protect Trees from Cold Temperatures
Finally, you should wrap your tree trunks to prevent frost cracking when the temperatures drop below freezing at night. Frost cracking occurs after sun-warmed sap freezes on the tree at night, which makes the bark split. Splits in the bark can damage trees, and even kill them. Just take a paper tree wrap and wrap the tree from the bottom to the lowest branch(es). Then, remove the tree wrap in the spring.
In short, if you want to enjoy a beautiful lawn during the spring, summer, and fall, you can’t take it for granted during the winter. Therefore, as cold weather starts to approach, you need to protect your from potentially harsh conditions. If you need help preparing your lawn for winter, consider hiring a landscaper, or at least visit a home and garden center for some advice.
