Winter 2024–2025 Lawn Diary

The Winter in a Nutshell

Even though the lawn care calendar is winding down, we still have a few things to suggest if you want to keep busy over the winter period until things pick back up again in spring!

Moss clearance and winter fertiliser will be the main tasks at hand this season to leave your lawn in good stead for healthy growth in March. You may also want to consider using Seaweed Bio-Bloom if your lawn is experiencing particular winter drought, waterlogging, disease or stress under harsh winter conditions. It also contributes greatly to your lawn’s general health even when not experiencing any of these issues. Explore more abouts its benefits and uses here.

Summary ‘To Do’ List for Winter:

·       Application of moss control products

·       A winter feed

·       Clearing away leaves

·       Clean & maintain mower

The Weather

Frosty conditions will be your lawns biggest enemy from here on in. Although, as long as you keep off your lawn when these conditions arise, you will avoid any lasting damage to the grass (e.g. footprints etched into your lawn!). If we are lucky enough to have a white Christmas this year, avoid piling snow on the lawn as this can bring on disease. If you or the kids plan on making any snowmen or snowwomen this year, be sure to distribute the snow evenly once finished with them as you could be left with a nasty mark on your lawn if left standing.

Lawn Trends

Explore a compilation of our most relevant and important lawn care articles here.

Mowing the Lawn

You will, by now, have completed your final mow of the season. If you are looking for a little lawn tidy up and the conditions are dry, give it a very high, light topping.

If the cooler, damp weather has brought with it a resurgence of moss to your lawn but you still want to trim the tops, raise the mowing height so that at least 1/2" of grass shows above the moss after grass cutting.

Mowers

When you feel that you no longer need your mower, it’s the perfect time of year to give it a thorough clean and service to keep it running efficiently in the new year. If you are still using it for sucking up leaves or topping your grass, service the mower in January.

Explore our useful article on how to keep your mower cleaned and maintained here.

Fertilising the Lawn

By this stage of the year, autumn fertilising should be done and dusted. However, if you are looking to give your lawn an extra boost of nutrients from now until spring, opt for a fertiliser low in nitrogen but high in iron and potassium. Our Winter Green High Iron Fertiliser works excellently for greening grass in cooler conditions. Particularly following a mild/wet autumn which will have caused a lot of nutrients to leach out of the grass, this winter fertiliser gives a boost of protection for your lawn against cold, frost and snow. It also contains the active ingredient in moss killer, Ferrous Sulphate, working to reduce moss vigour and disease whilst contributing to grass greening and overall health.

Speaking of Ferrous Sulphate, if your fertiliser levels are good but you still want to give your lawn that green-up and moss protection, why not try one or two medium applications of our Lawnsmith Ferrous Sulphate. This is also useful for reducing worm activity which may be more evident in the cooler, damper conditions.

Weed Control

At this time of year as your lawn lies dormant, any application of weed killer is going to have minimal effect. The best thing for you to do is wait until spring to address any weed issues, otherwise an application of weed killer in these cool conditions will at most make the weeds poorly.

Moss Control

At this point in the year, you may be battling with moss growth due to cold, wet and damp conditions. It is too late to attempt to scarify the moss out as there will be insufficient grass growth to repair any sparse patches in the lawn caused by this process, leaving the lawn open for even more moss to grow.

However, as mentioned, an application of Ferrous Sulphate if the moss infestation isn’t too severe will be the best approach. Applying the solution at a 4-5g per square metre rate once or twice during the winter period will control the progress of the moss. Alternatively one application of Winter Green over winter will have the same effect and can be supplemented with a Ferrous Sulphate application if moss is rampant due to a mild and/or wet winter.

If you do find that your garden has become overrun with moss, there isn’t an awful lot to be done other than wait until spring, treat with Ferrous Sulphate and rake it out. You will then need to overseed your lawn with a good grass seed to fill in any sparse patches. Practicing good lawn health throughout the year will leave you in good stead for keeping moss in check next winter.

Watering the Lawn

At this time of year, you won’t need to worry about watering your lawn.

Watering is only necessary prior to applying Ferrous Sulphate if the weather has been dry. A light sprinkle of water to damp things down is all that is required.

Aeration & De-compaction

Aeration is always highly beneficial for your lawn at any time of year but if there is any sign of frost in the forecast, it’s best to keep the aeration to spiking only. The best tools for this are aerator sandals or a rolling aerator.

Raking & Scarifying

Not advisable for this time of year due to the grass’ inability to grow and repair any sparse patches!

Damage Limitation

Ensure you do a weekly collection of any leaves on your lawn to keep your grass healthy. Removing leaves will help to reduce moss, disease and worm activity. If you have a rotary mower and the leaves are dry use it to suck up the leaves.

Repairs & Renovations

If you need to work on the lawn, check to ensure conditions won’t be too wet or the ground too soft before beginning.  If the surface is firm, go ahead and re-cut edges or any repairs using turf.

Pests & Diseases

Disease:

The diseases that may be causing you the most trouble this time of year are rust and fusarium.

Fusarium may be the most likely problem for this time of year as we enter more consistently drizzly and foggy weather conditions. This environment of moisture allows fusarium to thrive, particularly if your lawn has poor turf health, high thatch levels, poor air circulation or compaction

Worms:

Worms are highly beneficial for lawn health as they improve aeration, soil fertility and increase organic breakdown (providing nutrients and enriching soil). However, they can leave behind a muddy cast that causes issues when mowing as it creates an unsightly and great place for weeds to settle and germinate.

You can manage worms by applying a solution of Ferrous Sulphate (Soluble Iron) on the lawn as this will make conditions less inviting for worms but it’s best to start this before muddy casts begin to appear. Alternatively, there are natural ways to keep worms in your garden under control such as removing grass clippings whenever you mow, keeping off the lawn during the winter months or clearing away autumn leaves.

Rolling the Lawn

Wait until spring!

Top Dressing

Wait until spring for the next good growth.

The New Lawn

If you've been waiting for cooler wetter weather for turfing then the time is ripe from now into March at least.

 

Thanks for visiting Lawnsmith and we wish you a great rest of the year!