Winter lawn care focuses on protection rather than active maintenance, as most grass varieties are dormant during this period.
Essential Winter Maintenance
- Keep it Clean: Regularly remove leaves, branches, and debris. Wet, matted leaves can suffocate the grass and promote snow mold (a gray or circular fungal disease).
- Limit Foot Traffic: Avoid walking on the lawn, especially when it is frosted or frozen. Frozen grass blades are brittle and can break, leading to dead patches in the spring.
- Remove Heavy Objects: Do not leave lawn furniture, toys, or woodpiles on the grass. These block sunlight and compress the soil, which can kill the underlying turf.
- Manage Snow & Ice:
- Avoid piling heavy snow from driveways onto the lawn.
- Use calcium chloride or magnesium chloride based ice melts instead of rock salt (sodium chloride), which is toxic to plant roots.
Regional Care Tips
- Warm-Season Grasses (Bermuda, St. Augustine, Zoysia):
- These grasses turn brown and go dormant in winter.
- Watering: Provide about 0.5 to 1 inch of water weekly if conditions are dry, but stop once the grass is fully dormant.
- Weed Control: Apply a pre-emergent herbicide in late fall or early winter to prevent winter weeds like henbit or chickweed.
- Cool-Season Grasses (Fescue, Kentucky Bluegrass):
- These may stay green and continue growing slowly in milder winters.
- Final Mow: Aim for a height of 2 to 2.5 inches to prevent matting and disease.
- Watering: Water only if the grass shows signs of wilting.
Preparation (Late Fall/Early Winter)
If the ground is not yet frozen, you can still perform these critical tasks:
- Fertilization: Apply a “winterizer” fertilizer high in potassium to strengthen roots. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers late in the season, as they encourage fragile new growth vulnerable to frost.
- Aeration: Aerate to relieve soil compaction, allowing air and nutrients to reach the roots before the ground freezes.
- Equipment Care: Drain the fuel from your mower or add a stabilizer, and sharpen the blades so they are ready for the first spring cut.
These articles cover key winter lawn care strategies, from debris removal to snow and ice management.
Lowery Property Management 