Keeping your lawn in tip top shape is something that a homeowner is well aware of during the growing season. However, there are actually some important tasks to do for the lawn when the weather gets cold. In order to help keep your lawn in a healthy and beautiful state by next spring and into the summer, you’ll need to make sure everything is squared away now to help your lawn bounce back in spring. Don’t neglect your lawn care this winter in Flat Rock and Woodhaven, MI.
Related: HOW TO MAKE LAWN CARE AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE LANDSCAPING ROUTINE IN GROSSE ILE, MI
While winter lawn care isn’t as intensive as the care your lawn requires during the growing season, your lawn shouldn’t be neglected once cold weather hits. Here’s what you can do (or outsource) to ensure your lawn thrives during its winter dormancy.
Late-Season Mowing and Watering
As long as the grass is growing, you’ll want to keep mowing. If you have a lawn care company mow your lawn, they’ll keep on schedule until the grass stops growing.
Keep watering unless there is regular precipitation until the ground freezes. This will help the grass recover from the stresses of summer.
Weed Control
While many weed species will release their seeds in the late summer, there are some species that continue trying to spread in the early spring as well. It’s best to nip the problem in the bud as soon as possible so the noxious plants don’t strip any more resources from the soil that could be going towards your lawn.
Just as your grass is storing nutrients for the winter, so are weeds. Applying weed control now can stop this cycle, which can help ensure that very few, if any, weeds emerge in the spring.
Fertilization
Grass naturally ceases growing as the weather cools down. The plants will continue to grow, but they will focus their energy on growing roots beneath the soil while the air temperature is lower. This process will continue until the ground freezes. Lawn care professionals will carefully apply specialized winter-specific fertilizer to your lawn, which will help the roots retain nutrients and store energy until the spring thaw.
As soon as the snow melts in late winter, plants naturally begin to grow as fast as possible and take advantage of the warmer air, spring runoff, and sunlight. At this point, lawn care professionals will apply higher concentrations of fertilizer which will help the grass jump-start growth cycles. The faster it grows during this time, the stronger your lawn will be in the heat of the summer and freeze of the next winter. Stronger and healthier grass will also help prevent weed growth by covering the soil, not allowing weed seedlings to get any sunlight or nutrients.
Debris Removal
One of the most important late-season tasks in annual lawn care is debris removal: specifically, leaves. As leaves fall from the trees they form a blanket over your lawn. It’s no problem when the leaves are dry, but the moment a cold November rain soaks them, they will turn into a sticky, gooey mass that prevents air and water from reaching the lawn below - effectively suffocating it. Your lawn care company can send out a crew to quickly blow any fallen leaves onto a tarp and remove them; or, if you prefer, they can use a mulching mower to chop leaves into tiny bits that will decompose quickly and return nutrients to the soil.
