How to Winterize Your Lawn to Prepare it for the Cold Months Ahead
Winter—the season of hot cocoa and bundling up against the cold—is creeping up fast. You might be busy stocking up on cozy sweaters, pumpkin spice everything, and binge-watching Netflix shows.
But while you’re preparing yourself for the chill, don’t forget about your lawn. Just because the grass isn’t growing like crazy anymore doesn’t mean it’s time to ignore it.
Neglecting your grass during winter will result in a patchy landscape when spring rolls around. Don’t let that happen. Winterize it so that it bounces back lush and green when warmer days return.
Here are simple steps you can take to keep your lawn healthy through the cold months.
Remove Fallen Leaves
A blanket of colorful leaves in your yard might add to its beauty. But leaving them to pile won’t do any to the grass; rather, it will do more harm.
If you can barely see the grass, House Beautiful advises taking action to prevent smothering the grass or making it more vulnerable to disease.
When leaves pile up and get wet, they create a thick, soggy blanket that blocks sunlight and traps moisture. That creates a breeding ground for mold and disease. So, grab that rake or leaf blower and get rid of them. Raking up leaves will also prevent those unsightly dead patches from showing up in spring.
Don’t toss the leaves, though most do that. Reuse them, instead. Shred them into mulch for your garden beds or add them to a compost pile to create rich soil for future planting.
Keep Up With Weeding
Weeds cause plenty of problems. They reduce crop yield, weaken grass plants, and cause crop disease. Don’t forget to keep up with weeding.
For smaller areas, pulling weeds by hand is effective. But for larger or more stubborn infestations, applying a herbicide can help.
It’s important to use herbicides with caution, however. Some have been linked to serious health issues, including Parkinson’s disease.
Bayer AG’s Roundup, for instance, can be used in home gardens. But it contains glyphosate, which the WHO classifies as a “probable human carcinogen.” Long-term health risks of glyphosate exposure include cancer, liver and kidney damage, and endocrine and reproductive issues.
Roundup aside, glyphosate is also found in Paraquat, a non-selective herbicide intended only for commercial farms.
Neurologists link glyphosate exposure in Paraquat to Parkinson’s. According to TorHoerman Law, a study conducted by NIH found that farmers who used Paraquat were 2.5 times more likely to develop this degenerative brain condition. This has led to a surge in Paraquat lawsuits.
The manufacturers—Syngenta and Chevron—are the defendants in the Paraquat lawsuit. Plaintiffs in the lawsuits allege that the makers failed to properly warn them about the harms of long-term exposure to the herbicide.
For your safety, always wear protective gear and follow label instructions carefully before using any herbicide.
Mow, But Not Too Short
You might be tempted to stash your mower in the garage after the first frost, but don’t hang it up just yet.
If you stop mowing the lawn, the grass will grow too long. Longer grass is more prone to winter kill, especially when snow is present, says HGTV. The snow bends grass blades, which exposes the plant’s crown to moisture. That triggers fungal infection and decay.
You should, hence, not stop mowing until your grass stops growing or the first hard frost hits.
Don’t cut it too short, however. That is because grass needs a bit of length to stay strong. Cutting it too short weakens the roots, which leaves the lawn vulnerable to the elements.
For your final mow, aim for a grass height of around 2 to 2.5 inches, advises Men’s Journal. This height is short enough to prevent matting and tall enough to protect the root structure of the grass and maintain healthy air circulation.
Aerate the Grass
Does your lawn feel a bit too compacted after all those summer barbecues? It’s time to aerate it.
When the lawn is too tight, essential nutrients, water, and oxygen can’t reach the grass roots. That results in stunted growth, yellowing blades, and potential bare patches because the grass struggles to thrive.
Aerating the soil or puncturing small holes in your lawn can relieve soil compaction. It can also improve the flow of essential elements such as oxygen, water, and nutrients to the root system.
There are several ways to aerate the lawn, says Better Homes & Gardens. Those include using aerator shoes, handheld aerators, and manual drum aerators.
Aerator shoes are great budget-friendly options. To poke holes in your yard, you will just have to walk over the lawn multiple times.
Meanwhile, a handheld aerator resembles a pitchfork. It’s simple to use but tiring. You will have to stab the spikes well into the grass, take it out, and repeat to make sure the entire lawn is covered.
Manual drum aerators, on the other hand, are also handheld devices featuring a rolling drum with spikes or tines protruding from it. Go for it only if your lawn is small.
Not to deny, winterizing your lawn will take a bit of effort. But you’ll save yourself a ton of hassle when spring arrives. So, roll up your sleeves and show your lawn some love. It will repay you tenfold when the cold months are behind.
