Winter is right around the corner, and that means it is time to take the steps needed to prepare your lawn for success. Especially when living in Colorado, you never know what the winter will bring in terms of snow, weather, rain, and even sleet. To ensure your lawn’s survival through the winter, take a few extra precautions before the winter fully arrives. This will ensure you have a beautiful lawn once spring comes around.
Use Fallen Leaves
If you use fallen leaves to your advantage, you will be able to provide specific nutrition to your lawn. The only thing you need to be aware of is that they can also hurt your lawn by reducing the oxygen flow to the roots. Take fallen leaves and remove them, but then use them to compost. Leaves can also be mulched with a mulching mower. This will allow you to save work as compared to raking them.
Create a Compost Pile
Similar to what we touched on before, maintaining a compost pipe is great for your lawn and garden. You can use compost for insulation in your garden. This can be done by using leaves, plant trimmings, grass clippings, sawdust, fruits, veggies, and even old food scraps. Try to avoid inorganic materials or any plant life that has been treated with pesticides. Your compost pile may be a great option to protect your lawn or garden during cold months.
Aerate Your Lawn Before Winter
Core aerators can be rented from any home garden store for a low price. But especially if you have cold season grasses, you want to make sure you aerate your lawn before the winter arrives. You should irrigate your lawn a couple of days before you aerate. Then after you aerate the lawn, you can use some of the compost you have created to fill in any holes left behind.
Overseed Before the First Freeze
In Colorado, it is a good idea to overseed your lawn 6-8 weeks before the first hard freeze. This makes fall a great time to seed cool-season grasses. This will also give your lawn a nice boost in the spring, and prevent loss of grass during the winter. If you have a large lawn, you can consider contacting a lawn professional.
Keep Your Grass Low
When you begin to mow your lawn through the winter, you want to leave it short. This will allow you to avoid hosting bugs and other animals on your lawn.
Always Plan Ahead
By planning, you can prevent any damage to your lawn, and ensure it will look great once the frost of winter has melted. It is also smart to either purchase a mower for the spring in the winter. This allows you to get a good deal on a mower.
If you feel like you aren’t sure where to begin, you can contact our Lakewood Lawn Service. We can provide you with lawn care services to ensure the health of your lawn through the winter.