Winter lawn care is real. Do not believe that during the winter or during snow episodes that nothing happens to your lawn.
What’s winter lawn care? During the wintertime, your lawn is dormant. It does not mean that your lawn died, it has simply adapted to colder temperatures and shorter days.
For proof, around mid to late March, when temperatures start slowly rising again in Chester County, Pa, your lawn will pick up again.
However, there are some easy things you can do to help reduce the impact of winter on your lawn. If you need to learn more, read on.
Prepare for the winter during fall
As held for true in many things in life, preparation is everything. Therefore, there are some steps for your winter lawn care that you can take before winter hits hard our Southeast Philadelphia area.
You can prepare your lawn in advance with:
- Lawn aeration – It is a simple process that alleviates soil compaction and drives oxygen to the root system of your lawn and ease the intake of nutrients and moisture retention.
- Overseeding – re-seed your lawn after aeration. Not every lawn needs overseeding. However, if your lawn was impacted by environmental stress, then overseeding is recommended.
- Dethatching – Thatch is an organic layer that builds up, that layer needs to be removed to allow oxygen and water transfers to the soil.
- Late fall fertilization – It re-establishes nutrients, that your lawn will store up and use the following spring.
- Avoid reducing your mowing height to less than 3”
- Remove the leaves falling on your lawn regularly, at least once per week, to allow light and water to penetrate the ground. Use a blower preferably and do not leave stacks of dead leaves on the lawn surface.
These steps offer a great basis to prepare your lawn for the winter and manage your winter lawn care effectively. May the winter be harsh or gentle, the essential objective is to have healthy soil.
What to do during winter?
Lawn dormancy is a natural phenomenon in our latitudes, and you should expect off colors during that period of time.
When snow falls in Chester County, PA, it is commonly believed that snow kills lawns. Actually, when lawns are covered by snow.
Snow coverage acts like a blanket that insulates the plants and their roots from the colder temperatures.
Although snow certainly impacts lawns to a certain level, there are many different environmental factors that truly cause damages. Snow protects lawns from:
- Ice
- Cold winds
- Dehydration
Remember that microbes that are present in the soil survive even during the coldest peak in the season. Consequently, with lots of microbial activity and organic matter even during frozen times, your lawn will not die.
There are some steps that you can take during the wintertime:
- Continue to blow away leaves and other debris falling on your lawn
- Do not walk on your lawn when your lawn is frozen to avoid dead spots and damages to the plant
- Do not plow snow from or into your lawn
- Do not throw salt on your lawn area
Implementing these simple rules will help your turf go through the winter and thrive when milder temperatures are back.
And what now?
If you did not apply the rules we shared, springtime being around the corner, connect with us for all your questions. Our team will help you put in place the right program to revitalize your turf.