When it comes to your lawn, there is still work to do in the autumn season before winter reaches out its icy fingers to envelope it. Read on for some helpful hints to winter-proof your yard.
To maintain a healthy lawn, you need to prepare your lawn for its winter’s sleep and also for its optimum health in the coming spring. It is never too early to plan ahead. Continue to mow your lawn until you can see that there has been no growth in at least two weeks time. Grass should be left at least two inches high (but no taller than three inches) in preparation for winter.
If grass is cut too short, this makes it vulnerable to the winter winds which can have a terrible drying effect. This can make it vulnerable to the sun during the winter months, especially if there is no snow in places on the lawn.
On the other hand, if your leave your grass too long, this can cause it to become bent by the snow and winter winds. In this instance, it will hold onto too high a percentage of moisture which can give rise to fungus diseases. One example of this is snow mold. Too much sun and wind can wreak havoc on your lawn during the winter months, however the lawn continues to require exposure to both air and light over the colder months of the year.
Autumn is a good time of the year to fertilize your lawn as well as to reseed it. This will help energize the roots, especially if you do this early in the fall. Feeding your lawn again in late October is also a good idea. This will help winter-proof it to the best of its capabilities and will make it strong enough to endure whatever winter has in store.
If your lawn has some bare patches where there is no grass, early in the autumn season is an excellent time to sod or reseed. When putting in new sod make sure you do everything you possibly can to keep it moist for the first week after it has been put down. Once the first week has passed, the new sod can be watered as it requires it. Do not put down new sod on a day that is hot and dry.
