Winter is Coming: Is Your Lawn Ready?
As the days grow shorter and the temperatures drop, your lawn care routine needs to shift. For regions that experience freezing temperatures and snow, fall is the most critical season for lawn maintenance. Preparing your lawn for winter ensures it survives the harsh conditions and bounces back vigorously in the spring.
Step 1: Keep Mowing (But Drop the Deck)
Continue mowing your lawn until the grass stops growing. For the last two mows of the season, gradually lower your mower deck. Cutting the grass shorter (about 2 inches) prevents it from matting down under heavy snow, which is the primary cause of snow mold (a damaging fungal disease).
Step 2: Relentless Leaf Removal
Do not let a thick blanket of fallen leaves sit on your lawn over the winter. Wet, heavy leaves suffocate the grass, block sunlight, and trap moisture, leading to disease and dead patches.
You can either rake the leaves, blow them away, or use a mulching mower to chop them into dime-sized pieces that will decompose and feed the soil.
Step 3: Core Aeration
Fall is the perfect time to aerate cool-season lawns. Relieving soil compaction allows the roots to breathe and absorb the nutrients they need to survive the winter freeze.
Step 4: Apply a Winterizer Fertilizer
This is arguably the most important step for northern lawns. A "winterizer" is a fertilizer with a high potassium content. Potassium strengthens the cell walls of the grass, making it more resistant to cold stress and disease. Apply this late in the fall, shortly before the ground freezes.
If you live in a region with harsh winters, such as those needing lawn care in Chicago, IL or yard maintenance in Boston, MA, a professional winterization treatment is highly recommended.
Step 5: Clean and Store Equipment
Once the yard work is done, take care of your tools. Drain the gas from your mower (or add a fuel stabilizer), clean the undercarriage, and store your hoses indoors so they don't freeze and crack.
