5 Tips to Keep Your Lawn Healthy in Winter


If you've been following our blog, we've told you about aerating, over-seeding, fall lawn care tips, and given 6 tips to winterize your lawn. Now, the work is over. Not quite. Although the hard work of fall preparation is complete, there are still a few tips on what to do and what not to do in the winter months to ensure green grass in the spring.

Today, we're sharing 5 tips to keep your lawn healthy in winter.

1. Water

If you need to water, be sure to do it mid-day so it has a chance to soak in before nighttime freezing temps. Water allowed to pool in areas can damage the lawn once it freezes. A deeper and infrequent watering pattern will encourage roots to dig down deep for necessary water beefing up the root system.

2. Lower mower blades

As you approach your last few mows of the season, be sure to lower blades a bit in preparation for winter. We suggest lowering them about half an inch, then another half an inch the next mow. Don't take off more than 1/3 of grass height in any one mowing. The lower grass height will discourage disease and insects from invading your lawn this winter.

3. Clean it up

Be sure to rake leaves and debris and pick up toys. Left on the lawn, they will keep grass from getting the necessary sunlight it needs. The only exception is if you choose to mulch your leaves and disburse the clippings on top of grass. This will give nutrients and water to grass.

4. Avoid walking on frozen grass

Are you familiar with the crunch you hear when walking on frozen grass? Although it can be a cool sound, it is also the sound of grass breaking! Avoid walking on or mowing grass when it's frozen. Even when dormant, frozen grass that is subjected to a fair amount of traffic will suffer and may not green up as well in spring. 

5. Monitor weather and cover plants as necessary

Look at weather patterns and protect plants from freezing as necessary. This can be done with either plastic or cloth covers. If using plastic, it will be helpful to use stakes under the cover so the plastic isn't touching the plant. Parts of the plant that do touch the plastic could still freeze even with the cover. You don't have to worry about this with cloth covers, but these can get heavy and weighed down if they get wet.

We hope you enjoy this winter! Take some time to play in the snow (if Tennessee is lucky enough to get any this year) and follow these tips to ensure great green grass in the spring!