4 Ways to Keep Your Lawn Healthy in the Winter

With the arrival of the colder weather, there is often less time spent indoors. This means that homeowners are not spending as much time tending to their lawns, gardens, and flower beds.

Winter is a great time to focus on these outdoor areas, especially when it comes to keeping them healthy in this harsher climate.

Below are some helpful tips for keeping your lawn in the best possible shape when this year’s long season of snow begins.

Keep Your Grass Watered

While this is something that people do any time the weather turns cold, it is also an area where homeowners can make mistakes.

Many homeowners will stop watering their lawns in the winter because they estimate that their lawn will survive without them. However, if left to dry out for too long, the grass will not only begin to brown out but may actually start to die.

Therefore, keep up with your watering during this time of year. If your yard is still green after you water it, you should consider increasing or making more effort to get a deeper cut of water into the soil.

Stick To A Mowing Schedule

When winter sets in, you’ll need to readdress your mowing schedule.

For this reason, always maintain a uniform cutting schedule, so your lawn doesn’t get out of hand and turn into a patchy mess. Keep in mind that wet weather often leads to more browning and less greening, so be sure to cut right when the grass is at its most uniform.

Get a good mower -some of the zero turn mowers from Cub Cadet are amazing- and keep it well maintained. Good tools should last for years.

Stay Away From Chemicals and Pesticides

Even though fertilizers and applications of lawn pesticides can help encourage grass growth, they will not fully regrow the lawn if they are not used properly.

If you don’t want to open yourself up to the potential downsides of pesticides and chemicals, don’t use them. Instead, focus on giving your lawn a natural boost of nutrition, so it stays healthy and green even during the harsh winter months.

You can do this by working organic matter into the lawn and spraying or watering it down on a consistent basis. Compost is another great choice for this purpose.

Improve Your Soil

Spread compost over your lawn in the fall before frost and use a mulch to prevent weeds and compaction. Use hay or straw instead if you want a decorative look. Keep your color selection consistent from year to year. The key is to add compost and mulch consistently, even during the winter months.

In addition, make a thorough amendment of your soil in the fall before frost starts to set in. Follow this with a thorough watering to ensure everything stays moist.

If you take all of these tips into consideration, you’ll find your lawn will be in good shape when the snow finally melts and spring finally arrives.