Easy Tips to Get Your Lawn Ready for Winter

As your lawn prepares to hibernate beneath a blanket of lake effect snow, important care tasks need to be completed. While the cooler Northeast Ohio fall temperatures and rains (maybe even a few snowflakes) drive you indoors, giving a bit more attention to your grass before the snow officially flies promises a greener, healthier lawn in the spring.

Check out these five lawn care tips to finish out the season.

Feed Your Lawn

Squirrels hide nuts away. Bears fill up on berries. Similarly, your lawn needs to store food away to prepare for the winter. Fertilizing grass before it stops growing gives your lawn it's winter nutrients and nourishes roots. Even if you fertilize all spring and summer, this application proves the most effective.

Give Your Grass a Drink

While fall tends to be wet, note the amounts of rainfall, and water as needed until temperatures fall below freezing. Harsh winter winds prove to dry to lawns. These last drinks every two to three weeks prove vital to ensuring your grass gets needed moisture. However, beware not to over water.

Boost Your Lawn

To get those nutrients and water to the roots of grass, a late fall aeration proves vital. This technique allows water and fertilizer to penetrate and strengthen roots. Plus, it breaks up thatch which essentially suffocates your lawn (Check out last month’s blog.) and increases microbial activity to boost the health of the soil.

Strengthen the Blades of Grass

You may be tempted to tune-up and tuck that lawn mower away until spring. After all, the growth of your grass proves barely noticeable. Hold off. A final, late-season cutting prepares your lawn for the bitter cold and piles of snow soon to come upon it. Mowing on as low a setting as your mower allows keeps grass blades strong and tall. This final trim decreases disease and snow damage which may occur over the winter months.

Defeat the Enemy

Weeds threaten to move in and choke out lush grass all season long, if not properly addressed. Cooler months see a rash of weeds as grass goes dormant. Get on the offensive and tackle dandelions and clover before next spring. Weed control treatments fight these enemies of a healthy lawn while you cozy up inside by the fire all winter long.

Be patient. The time is coming when your lawn will rest, and you may rest from yard work. In the meantime, tackle these five lawn care tips to help you rest easy and reduce your work in the spring.

Contact Top Notch Landscaping, Inc for services to get your lawn in tip-top shape before winter rushes into Northeast Ohio.