Preparing Your Lawn and Landscaping for Winter
With fall slowly giving way to the colder winter weather, it is time to start preparing your lawn for the snowy months ahead. Some people may think that the end of summer means the end of mowing the lawn and tending to the garden, but to ensure a healthy lawn, it’s essential to maintain your lawn through the fall, so it is healthy and strong in the spring!
Get Your Lawn Winter Ready with These Tips
Keep Mowing
Even though the weather has cooled down, it doesn’t mean your days of mowing the lawn are over. It is vital to continue mowing your grass as needed until it stops growing for the season. This will help ensure it the crown of your grass receives the sunlight and water it needs. When the season nears the end, cut your lawn on your mower’s lowest setting for the last two cuttings before winter.
Trimming the grass this short will also leave less leaf to turn brown over the winter months. When you lower your mower blade for the last two cuttings of the season, do not trim off more than one-third of the grass blades per cutting. Trimming the lawn too low can stunt your lawn’s growth and leave your lawn more susceptible to diseases and weed invasions.
Clean up Your Lawn and Garden
As the leaves fall, it is essential to either mulch the leaves into smaller pieces or rake them up and dispose of them. Leaves will not provide insulation from the cold winter temperatures, but they will block out the sunlight your lawn needs to thrive. Without proper sunlight, you may end up with a weakened or brown lawn come springtime.
It is also important to clear out leaves and other plant debris from your beds and borders to help prevent issues such as mold or mildew. Be sure also to pull any weeds in your garden while also removing annuals that are dead or dying. After the first hard freeze of the winter season, you can apply mulch 2-3″ deep around your plants to help insulate the roots and protect the plant from the cold.
Fertilize for a Stronger Lawn
To prepare your lawn for winter, it is important to continue feeding your lawn. Fall is a great time to fertilize your lawn because plants are beginning to respond to triggers such as day length and temperature changes, slowing down their growth and shifting food reserves from the leaves to the roots. Even as the temperatures drop, the grass roots remain active in the soil.
Fertilizing your grass during the fall allows you to feed the active roots, helping them store more nutrients for the winter. This can help your lawn green up more quickly when spring arrives.
Expert Lawn Care for Greener Lawn this Spring
At Superior Lawn Care, our Fall Special Offer can prepare your lawn for the winter, allowing you to enjoy a lush green lawn in the spring. Before winter comes to Pittsburgh, current customers can take advantage of our Fall Special Offer including lime application, overseeding, and aeration for a healthier lawn come springtime.
Contact us today to learn about how our Fall Special Offer and our other lawn care services can prepare your lawn and landscape for winter. We proudly serve southwestern PA, including Belle Vernon, Upper St. Clair, Greensburg, Wexford, Indiana, Uniontown, and throughout the Pittsburgh area.