Winterizing Your Southern Lawn

As winter approaches, many homeowners are looking forward to taking a break from yard work.  Before you put that mower up for the winter, take the time for some lawn care and maintenance to get your yard ready for the winter months. In the spring, you’ll have a healthier, more beautiful lawn.

For the last couple mowings of the season, cut the grass a little shorter than normal.  This will help keep the yard from retaining moisture and allow air and sunlight to reach a little further into the lawn.  If you don’t already do so, leave the clippings on the yard.  They will provide the soil with nutrients throughout the winter.

Fall is a good time to have the lawn dethatched and aerated.  Dethatching removes the layer of dead grass, clippings, leaves and other material that have accumulated at the base of the lawn.  Removing this material allows air to circulate and water to reach the soil.  Aerating helps prevent soil compaction and allows nutrients to seep deeply into the soil promoting healthy root growth.

Rake leaves as soon as they fall keep raking them up throughout the winter.  A layer of wet leaves left on the yard will kill the grass and you will have to start all over in the spring.  Keep those leaves raked up.

Fall is a good time for an overseeding.  Spread the grass seed before the weather turns too cold to allow the seeds to germinate and become established.  If cold weather sets in too quickly, the seed will germinate as soon as it warms up in the spring.

By doing a little work in the fall, your yard will look great when warm spring weather arrives!