Lawn Care Tips for Winter

Before long, if it hasn't happened already, inhabitants of northern areas will see snowfall on their lawn. Many people wonder, "is snow bad for my lawn?" The answer is, it depends.

It is important to make sure that your lawn is ready for snow. While snow is not inherently damaging to a lawn, it can be if the lawn is left in certain conditions prior to the snowfall.

On a well-manicured lawn free of leaves, a healthy layer of snow will do no damage to your lawn.

Lose the Leaves

The best thing you can do for your lawn prior to a major snowfall is to clear the fallen leaves. Snow will bury these leaves rendering them into a "nature tarp" or sorts that will leave your lawn saturated in water. The moisture from snow will also combine with the leaves to extradite their disintegration process leaving a soupy mess of wet, decomposing leaves all over your lawn. This contocion can reveal a heavily damaged lawn when the snowfall melts away.

Don't Buzz the Grass

The second major way to prepare your lawn for snow is to make sure the grass hasn't been cut too short. There is a fine line to balance in this regard. Cutting a lawn too short prior to snow fall promotes frost damage. However, you don't want to leave it excessively long, either. Grass can become diseased if it is left tall and riddled with hidden leaves.

The rule of thumb for your last mow of the season is to aim for a very "average" height. When in doubt, just go for the middle setting on your lawn mower.

Clear Walking Paths

If your lawn has been doused with snow, it is crucial not walk on this snow thus "packing" it against the grass. This can suffocate and kill the lawn beneath you footsteps. To avoid this, clear snow from the path on your lawn that you will walk on. If there are spots where the snow has been packed against the lawn by your footstep, you can simply use your hands to remove that dense snow from your lawn.

If you follow the key points in this article, there should be a nice shiny lawn awaiting you once the snow melts away!

Source - www.hobbylawncare.com/lawn-maintenance/general-lawn-maintenance/story/is-your-lawn-prepared-for-winter-uid134