As the holiday season draws nearer, it’s a sign of one other thing to come: Cold weather. Green grass turns frosty. Trees lose their leaves. Snow piles up on the sidewalks. You’re left wondering how to keep your yard safe over the winter.
You know that over the winter, your yard goes through a lot. Plummeting temperatures, frost, and snow buildup can cause damage to those delicate blades of grass. But even though your lawn is covered in ice and snow doesn’t mean you should ignore it altogether!
We’ve compiled a few ways to keep your lawn healthy despite the colder weather:
Mow Your Lawn
Keep your eye on the weather forecast as winter approaches. Before the first snowfall, cut your lawn shorter than usual. This will help prevent excess moisture from building up, causing snow mold. Try to cut it about 1-1 ½” shorter than you usually would.
Remove Any Debris or Clutter
It’s easy to let leaves, sticks, and other debris build up on your lawn. But these things can actually suffocate your lawn when winter arrives.
Once you’ve mowed your lawn extra short, take your rake and eliminate any debris. You should also move any belongings you’ve kept on your lawn, such as outdoor furniture. Keep it inside until your grass thaws again.
Pamper Your Lawn
Another way to prepare your lawn for winter? Give it one last dose of TLC before the snow falls.
Schedule lawn maintenance in Winnipeg or wherever you live to book a fertilization and lawn aeration treatment. Here’s why:
A lawn aeration treatment provides extra air for grass roots. You add holes to your lawn to improve the nutrient, water, and air uptake of the grass. This practice also helps prevent snow mold.
With a fertilization treatment, you can deliver the essential nutrients your lawn needs to stay healthy. Nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus will help your lawn stay healthier despite the harsh conditions. Choose a slow-release fertilizer so those nutrients keep your lawn healthy for months to come.
Limit Foot Traffic
When your grass is dormant, it’s sensitive to damage from foot traffic. If you trample on your grass, the damage will show. Landscaping in Winnipeg during winter, for example, is not ideal. Try to limit how much you walk on your grass—stick to the paved paths and driveways instead.
If you have young kids, that might be easier said than done. You don’t want to stop your kids from building snow forts—but at the same time, you don’t want them to totally wreck your lawn. Try to find a park nearby where they can play instead, or limit play areas to the backyard instead of the front.
Give Your Lawn TLC When the Snow Melts
When spring is right around the corner, it’s time to start undoing the damage caused by the snow. Your grass will need a little extra help to recover from the winter.
As soon as the snow starts to melt, move any debris that found its way to your lawn over the winter. You can rake the lawn to get rid of any dead grass, and from there, schedule a few lawn care treatments, including lawn aeration, overseeding, and fertilizing.
Watch Out for Sidewalk Salt
Are your sidewalks coated with ice? You’ll need to sprinkle them with salt to prevent slips and falls. But those chemicals can spread from the sidewalk and damage your lawn.
Each time you shovel the sidewalk, sodium chloride can spread from the snow to your yard. This is very harmful to the grass. Be mindful of this as you shovel, and try to move the salted snow away from your yard.
You can also purchase sidewalk salt that’s gentler on grass. Choose a product that’s made of a sodium chloride alternative.
No one’s lawn looks perfectly green when the snow melts. But with the above tips, you can minimize the damage your grass endures over the colder months. We hope this post helps you protect your lawn this winter!
