Keep Your Exterior Healthy with These Winter Lawn Practices
In some parts of the country, the harshness of winter weather has already arrived. New Jersey is feeling the winter months quickly approaching as temperatures start to fall and the days get shorter. Due to colder temperatures, lack of sun, and extreme weather conditions, grass tends to be forgotten about in the winter months. Even though it is cold outside, it is still vital that homeowners give their lawn some attention with these top winter lawn practices.
- Aerate the lawn.
If the ground isn’t frozen, winter is still a good time to aerate the lawn, especially if you didn’t have the time during the spring season. Aerating is the process of removing plugs of soil to allow water, nutrients, and oxygen to flow freely through the soil so grass can establish stronger roots. Aerating your lawn now will help it grow into a lush landscape once spring arrives. - Spread fertilizer.
Winter is one of the best times to fertilize a lawn as long as the ground is not frozen. Spread fertilizer that is low in nitrogen with a spreader to assure grass gets the nutrients it needs throughout the cold season. Be careful to no over apply so you don’t burn the grass. - Apply grass seed.
Often referred to as dormant seeding, spreading seed in bare spots during the winter months gives seeds time to take root in time for the spring season. Be sure to apply cool-season seed. The freezing and thawing that New Jersey experiences during the winter helps the seeds by creating cracks and crevices in the ground so the seeds can find their home in the soil. - Declutter the yard.
Lawn equipment, outdoor furniture, and toys are familiar sights to see in the backyard during the summer months. These items should be packed away in the winter. Leaving them out during snow, freezing, and thawing increases the chances of grass dying and creating ugly brown spots that you won’t notice until spring when the rest of the grass starts to turn green. - Limit traffic.
This is especially important if grass was just planted, or there are some weak areas in the yard. Heavy traffic during winter months takes its toll on grass, damaging and breaking it, causing it not to grow appropriately once the active growing season returns.
Winter weather in New Jersey is unpredictable, but following these winter lawn practices increases the chance that grass will grow healthy in the spring. Contact Perennial Lawn Care to help with your lawn this winter. We can customize a lawn care program based on your specific needs.
Posted on