Winter is around the corner, and it won't be long until cold weather, snow and icy conditions set in. As a homeowner, it's important to take care of your lawn on a seasonal basis. During the lead-up to the cold winter months, you will need to ``winterize`` your lawn; winterizing your lawn refers to preparing your lawn for the winter season.
Fertilizing your lawn for the winter: dos and donts
How you prepare your lawn grass for the winter will vary depending on the type of grass grown on your lawn. If you have cool-season turf, such as Kentucky bluegrass or perennial ryegrass, then you should aim to apply a winterizing fertilizer in November (if you haven’t already done so in October) in order to encourage the grass to transition excess nutrients into the roots, ensuring a stronger growth in the spring. ‘
If you have warm-season turf, such as Bermuda, St. Augustine or zoysia, then you should not fertilize: fertilizing a warm-season lawn could damage any new growth triggered by the fertilizer as it will be exposed to freezing winter temperatures. There is one exception to this rule which only applies to people who live in areas with mild winters: if your warm-season grass stays green all winter long, be sure to fertilize it in the fall.
Mowing to prepare for winter
If you have warm-season grass and live in a region with cold temperatures, then it is very likely that your grass will go dormant during the winter season. This means that you won’t need to create a mowing schedule for the winter months. Instead, pick a date before the freezing temperatures set in to give your lawn a “final” mowing session before winter. Short grass will greatly reduce the chances of fungus and similar issues once snow sets in.
If you have cool-season grass, however, then your grass may continue to grow until the ground freezes. In this case, you should create a mowing schedule that occurs every 10 to 14 days; this will allow you to keep your grass low and remove lawn debris before the freezing temperatures arrive.
Winterizing your garden
The steps you take to winterize your garden will depend on what you grow. Any dead plants should be cleared out of the garden and used as compost; for plants that go dormant during the winter, you can help protect them by surrounding them with straw or even compost to help protect them from the harshest winter temperatures. If you can, wait to prune perennials until the spring or next fall; this will allow them to save up as much energy for winter as possible.
Inspect your yard for debris and stagnant water
This is an especially important step if you tend to get a lot of snow in the winter since all that snow makes it difficult to spot problems on the lawn itself. Before winter sets in, make sure you inspect your yard for debris–leaf piles, sticks, etc; as well as stagnant water, which will become a breeding ground for mosquitoes if the weather turns even remotely wild in the winter.
Winterizing your yard or lawn is an essential part of keeping it healthy all year round, so don’t forget to engage in the above crucial steps.
