How to Prepare Your Lawn for Winter: Check if You Did Everything Right

If you want your lawn to look like a picture, you'll have to work hard. And we're not just talking about standard maintenance during the season.

According to the expert of the online publication BelNovosti, scientist-agronomist, landscape designer Anastasia Kovrizhnykh, the grass needs to be prepared for winter. The future condition and density of the grass depends on how correctly this task is performed.

In the fall, before the cold weather sets in, summer residents will have to perform 3 important procedures. First of all, they should take care of fertilizing the lawn. Of course, you need to mow the grass, and when this "operation" is finished, you need to remove hay from the lawn, and in addition, fallen leaves.

Fertilizing the lawn

If the lawn often dries out during the summer, the grass needs to be strengthened. To do this, in September it is necessary to "treat" it with nitrogen fertilizer - in small quantities. This is important, because if there is too much nitrogen, the grass will begin to grow actively and lose its strength.

At the end of September – beginning of October, try to get hold of potassium and phosphorus compounds to fertilize the lawn with them. Thanks to them, the grass’s root system develops better. Such fertilizing also promotes better growth of lateral shoots and increases the frost resistance of plants.

There are two options for applying fertilizers. First, you can use superphosphate, then potassium sulfate or wood ash. If this plan does not suit you for some reason, use a complex concentrated fertilizer, which contains both substances at once.

This period is also suitable for applying fertilizers, the purpose of which is to improve the composition of the soil. A striking example is slaked lime. In this case, dolomite flour can serve as an alternative.

Please note: fertilizers are applied only to moist soil. To meet this requirement, fill the lawn with water and let it sit for 24 hours. This should be enough time for the liquid to be absorbed and the grass to dry out.

Now you can start applying fertilizer. You will need a sprayer for this. It is recommended to use it to eliminate the risk of burning the grass, as well as its roots. When you have finished applying fertilizer, water the lawn again, and again generously.

Mowing the lawn

As for mowing, the right time for it is November, just before wintering. It is recommended to cut the grass so that about 7 cm remains above the ground level. The plants will need a little time to grow to a height of 10 cm - such dimensions are considered optimal.

Lawn cleaning

You can clean up hay from lawns not only in autumn but also in spring. But leaves that have fallen from trees and bushes should be removed before the cold weather comes. Otherwise, you may encounter mold or souring of plants.