After the scorching heat; foot traffic from pets, children, and relatives; and months of general enjoyment and use; it’s time to give your lawn a rest. The winter is the perfect time for the lawn to heal, but before it can do this, you need to give it the right preparation to come back strong next year.
Indiana winters are notoriously harsh, and the summers can be just as tough on a lawn, so to give your yard a break, this fall, make sure to have the following done:
- Rake the last leaves — You may have already raked the lawn 20 times over the fall, but if the leaves continued to come down, the final bits should be removed before the winter covers them up. Decomposing clumps of leaves can create fungus problems that you won’t know about until the spring.
- Aerate the soil — During the winter, the soil can become very hard, making it difficult for water, air and nutrients to get down to the roots of the grass. Aerating will allow the transfer of these elements even as the soil hardens.
- Identify problem spots in the grass — Maybe the kids used one spot to play games, or the dog chose one area as a bathroom, or your friends parked on the lawn. Sometimes grass just grows differently based on the way the sun and other elements hit it. Regardless, this is the time to identify these spots.
- Fertilize and seed — After you’ve aerated, you should add fertilizer so it can be stored by the roots over the winter. Seeding, especially in those areas that you identified as particularly hit by the summer months, is crucial. Compost can be added to encourage growth in the areas.
- Cut grass shorter than usual — You will not mow for much of the winter, so keeping the grass short during the colder months helps to maintain a more manageable length for when you start mowing again in the spring. About 1.5 inches is a commonly-suggested height.
- Prevent standing water — You probably haven’t thought about mosquitoes in a couple months, but the reason they appear every season is they found good places for their larvae to be when the winter is over. If you see any standing water in your lawn (maybe in pet dishes, yard debris, bird baths etc.) empty them and then prevent water from gathering there again.
- Remove yard debris — Yard debris isn’t just a place for mosquitoes to create the next generation; it can also scar the lawn. Even something small, like a frisbee, left sitting on your lawn over winter can damage the grass underneath. Put chairs, grills, and any junk away and off your lawn before winter begins.
In the Bloomington, Indiana area, Anthony’s Lawn Care and Landscaping can help make sure your winter prep for your lawn gets done right. This is your chance to let your lawn heal and set it on the right path for a new year, and we’d love to help. In addition to Bloomington, we serve Clear Creek, Dolan, Ellettsville, Elwren, Handy, Kirby, New Unionville, Unionville and Whitehall.
Call us at (812) 345-5694 to learn more.
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