Winter Lawn Care Tips To Keep Your Grass Healthy Until Spring

Welcome from Key2Green!

As winter begins to settle in, here are some quick winter lawn care tips, and Q&A for you to keep your grass thriving until spring:

• Avoid heavy foot traffic on frozen grass to prevent damage.

• Keep leaves and debris cleared to allow air and sunlight to reach the soil.

• Ensure proper drainage to prevent waterlogging and root rot.

• When should I mow my lawn for the last time of the year?
  The last cold-season lawn mowing should typically be done in late fall, once the grass growth has significantly slowed but before the first heavy frost or snowfall. The correct height for this final cut is around 2 to 2.5 inches to prevent stress on the grass while protecting crowns during winter. After mowing, it's crucial to service your lawn mower by cleaning off grass clippings, changing the oil, sharpening or replacing the blade, checking spark plugs, and emptying the fuel tank or adding a fuel stabilizer. Proper mower maintenance ensures it will be ready and reliable for optimal performance next spring.

• Should I apply a late winterizer fertilizer? NO
  Your grass is smart. It stored the food it needs for the winter. Adding fertilizer will only encourage snow mold, and other early spring diseases. Also dormant grass cannot effectively absorb the nutrients and instead will be lost to environmental runoff. Furthermore, a late fertilization will encourage the germination and growth of winter annual weeds, which will outcompete the grass. Key2Green applied the final fertilizer at the right time, when your lawn was ready to gather it up and prepare for the winter.

• What else can I do to make sure my lawn will be ready for next spring? Test and adjust your soil!
  Now is a great time to test your soil and make ph adjustments with pelletized lime if needed. Liming a lawn in the fall provides benefits like neutralizing soil acidity to make nutrients more available, improving soil structure for better root growth, and helping the lawn remain healthy throughout the winter. The cool, damp fall weather and winter freeze-thaw cycles allow the lime to work slowly and thoroughly over several months, preparing the soil to be more balanced and nutrient-rich for spring growth. Contact Key2Green for a soil analysis today for only $50 (fee waived if you join the Key2Green standard program!). For more information about what soil test results look like, please take a look at my in-depth article on The Power of Soil Analysis.

Thank you for trusting Key2Green with your lawn fertilization needs. We look forward to seeing you in the spring and helping your lawn thrive. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me anytime. See you soon!