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Winter is a tough time of year for lawn care. If you want to keep your yard looking great, there are some things you should know about how winter affects it. This means that in many cases, you may need to change up your normal routine for this season.
Of course, you can still make improvements whenever you want. For instance, if you want to give your lawn more character, you can hire brick paving contractors to add edging and landscaping bricks. It’s also a good idea to add some iron benches in the garden, which will come in handy when you want to spend time outside enjoying your yard.
The biggest issue with lawn care during winter is that it can be challenging to determine when is the best time for specific tasks. You may have noticed that the days are shorter, and the temperature is much colder than average. Luckily, here are ten tips that can make the job so much easier:
1. Keep a sharp mower blade
The first step to winter lawn care is to make sure your mower blade is sharp. A sharp blade allows the grass to cut cleanly rather than tearing at the tips. When a grass tip is torn instead of cut, it leaves behind a sharp edge that can easily collect water and support the growth of disease-causing fungi, such as snow mould.
2. Rake leaves and sticks
Even with a sharp blade, small twigs can get tangled in the mower deck and put extra stress on your blade. If you’ve ever had to pull out little pieces of grass that have been torn up by a stuck stick, then you know this is true. It’s also a good idea to pick up leaves and other yard debris, as this will prevent fungus growth.
3. Look for signs of disease
There are several diseases that grass can get in winter. Your first line of defence against these nasty invaders is to look closely at your lawn for any sign of trouble. Reseed any bare spots that have turned green, as this is a telltale sign of grey snow mould.
If you see any dark brown patches in your yard, these are most likely caused by dead snow mould. Other signs to look for are bright green patches in areas where the grass has died back or yellow leaves when there isn’t supposed to be any frost.
4. Water your grass regularly
Since the leaves have fallen, it can be hard to water your grass during the dry winter months. Make sure you are doing regular watering so that your lawn doesn’t start to turn brown, even if it’s just a bit at first. If the brown extends far into your grass, then you’ll want to reseed that area.
5. Use fertilisers with caution
If you are using winterising fertiliser on your yard this year, make sure to use it cautiously. Winterising fertiliser has high levels of nitrogen, which can burn your grass if you’re not careful. If you are using organic fertiliser, there is also a risk of causing brown patch disease if the fertiliser is applied too heavily or repeatedly, so be sure to read the directions carefully before fertilising.
6. Cover your lawn furniture
If you have any wooden lawn furniture, it’s important to cover it up during the winter to protect it from rain. If you don’t, water can seep into the wood and cause the furniture to rot, which is a costly problem.
7. Maintain proper pH
The pH of your soil is another important factor in preventing disease growth. The ideal range for most grasses is between 6 and 7, but it can easily go outside this range. If the pH is too low or high, your grass will become challenging to grow and prone to disease and fungus growth.
8. Keep mowing the grass
Even if you don’t see any grass growing in the winter, keep mowing throughout the year. Your lawn should be at the height that you would typically cut it by the end of spring regardless. It can look bad to have tall grass in winter, but not cutting your grass allows the dead tips to collect water and support fungus growth.
9. Mark sprinkler heads
If you are running a sprinkler system during the winter months, mark where the sprinkler heads are. This will prevent you from accidentally hitting them when trying to manoeuvre your lawnmower over the yard, which can break the sprinkler head or damage it beyond repair.
10. Don’t plow your snow
If it snows where you live, make sure to shovel around the base of plants rather than piling up the snow by one side. By piling up the snow on one side, you can suffocate your plants and cause them to die. If you must pile up the snow, make piles at least 6 feet away from the base of the plants to prevent any damage.
Lawn care in winter is a great way to keep your yard looking beautiful. With the right tips, getting through winter can be easy and painless for you and your grass. Of course, if you don’t want to do the work yourself, hiring a professional lawn care company is always an option.
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