Winter Lawn Care Tips
Winter lawns can look pretty awful but don't need to be. With a little knowledge and planning you can have a fantastic lawn all year round.
Winter lawns can look pretty awful but don’t need to be. A little planning and bit of work can considerably improve your lawn just like the one above.
Prepare for Winter with an Autumn Feed
Low levels of light, cold wet soil, frost and snow can stress the lawn quite a lot in Winter and invite disease particularly if your lawn is under nourished. So just like animals need to stock up on food before winter so do plants!
You can do this by using an autumn fertiliser, usually between September and November that contains a good amount of potassium such our Autumn Fertiliser.
See Spring & Autumn Lawn Feeding
Harden your Grass against Disease
A dose of iron in the form of ferrous sulphate helps the grass manufacture chlorophyl thus helping it feed itself in low light conditions. It also builds resistance against disease in the grass plants.
Mild Winters and Winter Feeding
Mild weather means the grass does some growing so monitor the grass and if it looks like it’s losing its colour then use a Winter Fertiliser. Do NOT use anything else as most other fertilisers would be too strong and cause poor growth and invite disease.
The ideal is one with low nitrogen, high potassium and a good amount of iron such as Lawnsmiths Winter Green. Apply during a mild spell December to February for a spectacular result.
See Using Winter & Iron Lawn Fertilisers
A High Winter Cut with the Mower
During dry winter weather it is quite possible to mow the grass. Just remember you are tidying rather than mowing the lawn to keep it in check. Invariably this means using the highest mower setting to trim off uneven growth.
Aerating your Grass in Winter
Spike the lawn as often as possible to keep air around the roots. Don’t use anything larger, such as a hollow tine or slitter because if the lawn soil freezes on a frosty night the lawn will start to heave.