5 Tips for Winterizing a Lawn

You put a lot of work into keeping your Seattle turf green all summer, now put in a little more to winterizing it. Winterizing a lawn helps to repair damage from the summer season and prepare grass for the cooler weather to come. Autumn is the best time to do that. The following is a list of to-dos for getting your turf ready for the winter.

Fertilizing

Making sure the grass plants have all the nutrition they need to get through the winter is the place to start. Don’t go out and grab just any old fertilizer, though. There is a difference between them and winterizing calls for a special mix. Make sure the fertilizer you use specifies that it is an autumnal mix or states that it is made for winterizing.

Aeration

Aerating a lawn decreases the accumulation of thatch and allows the soil to breathe. This increase the oxygen in the soil and gives it the ability for nutrient to filter down into the ground. When this happens the grass can more easily feed on those important necessities, allowing it to store up for the winter.

Weeding

Make one last go of ridding invasive weeds. These plants tend to do some of their best work in the fall and have a longer growing season than most grasses. If they are allowed to get a foothold in during the fall they can propagate well into the cold month, squeezing out healthy grass.

Mowing

On the second-to-last mow raise the mowing height by a half inch. This will allow stunted roots a little more time to absorb nutrients and get stronger before the cold sets in. On the last mow, move the blades a half inch below the summer setting. If possible leave the clippings on the ground to mulch and add nutrients and help protect new shoots.

Remove Piles of Leaves

If your mower has an attachment to mulch and distribute leaf bits over the lawn, that is the idea way to get rid of fallen leaves. However, if you are left to raking, do not leave piles of leaves in the yard or they will suffocate the grass below.

These five steps will go a long way in getting your lawn green and strong before the cold sets in, as well as help keep it healthy throughout the year.