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Mow in the fall. Lawn care before frost

A neat, well-groomed green lawn will give your suburban area a finished look, highlight and make other decorative elements of the area brighter and richer: trees, a pond, flowers, shrubs, alpine slides. The lawn needs constant care throughout the warm season. With the arrival of autumn, your grass carpet needs to be properly prepared for winter. We will tell you what and how to do this in this article.

Do you even need to prepare your lawn for winter?

It would seem - why? This is ordinary grass, which in natural conditions overwinters well without any preparation. All this is true, but we are talking about lawn grass, which is more “delicate”, and if you do not take care of the lawn in the fall, then in the spring it may “please” you with numerous bald spots, or the grass will have to be re-sowed. This is especially true for lawns that are awaiting their first winter.

Required tools and materials

  • Lawn mower or walk-behind trimmer.
  • Garden forks or aerator.
  • Fan rake.
  • Fertilizers - about 3 kg per 100 sq.m.
  • Lawn grass seeds for overseeding

How to prepare your lawn for winter

At the beginning of autumn, in September, when the summer heat subsides and sufficient rainfall falls, it is not necessary to regularly water the lawn. But if September turns out to be dry, you can water the lawn using the sprinkling method. Remember that moisture evaporates much worse in autumn than in summer; do not allow puddles to form in the grass.

Every experienced gardener begins to prepare his lawn for winter from the beginning of September. Preparatory work is carried out until the first frost. At the beginning of October, it is recommended to completely stop watering the lawn to avoid the accumulation of excess moisture in the soil. If this is not done, the grass may weaken, become diseased, and die.

last lawn mowing

As all lawn owners know, in the summer the grass has to be cut almost every week. When autumn comes, the earth begins to cool, plant growth slows down and this procedure does not have to be carried out as often. But you can’t neglect mowing your lawn before winter. If the grass grows a lot, then with the onset of frost it will freeze and lie on the ground. In the spring, this carpet of dead plants will be difficult to remove and will greatly interfere with young shoots. Therefore, lawn care in the fall includes mandatory grass cutting.

The most suitable mowing height is about five centimeters. After this, within a few weeks the lawn will grow by 2-3 centimeters. This height of grass cover is best suited to preserving strength and nutrients for the upcoming winter.

It is quite difficult to guess how many times you will have to mow your lawn in the fall. If you mow your lawn in early September, the grass will likely grow back and will have to be mowed again. Or the opposite situation is possible, when early frosts strike and you do not have time to mow the grass for the winter. In the northern regions of the country, it is best to mow the lawn for the winter around the end of September, in the middle zone at the end of September - beginning of October, in the south - in the middle and even the end of October.

It is better not to throw away the cut grass, but to use it as fertilizer. Thus, you will solve the problem of recycling grass mass, and at the same time reduce the amount of spring work in the garden or garden bed. If you follow the general recommendations of experienced gardeners, the last mowing of the lawn should be done approximately two to three weeks before the first frost in your region.

feeding

In order for plants to quickly recover from winter frosts and begin to grow steadily, they need to be fed with mineral fertilizers. As for the composition of fertilizers, there is no consensus. Some gardeners recommend fertilizing the lawn in the fall using phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. We can agree with them, since phosphorus and potassium stimulate root formation of grass. Others advise using nitrogen fertilizers to promote rapid development of green mass. Ideally, it is necessary to combine all these types of fertilizers in the right proportions.

It would be a good idea to feed your lawn with nitrogen fertilizers throughout the summer. This will help deepen the color of the grass so it won't fade before frost.

It is also recommended to use deoxidizing agents - limestone flour or chalk. This will benefit not only the lawn, but also the nearby plantings. It is best to choose a dry and windless day to feed the grass.

soil aeration

It is strongly recommended to include aeration in the complex of preparatory work. Aeration, or airing the soil, has a very good effect on the condition of the lawn. It should be noted that aeration in the summer is undesirable. The optimal time for ventilation is early or mid-September. The essence of this work is very simple - holes or cuts are made in the soil, thus ensuring free access of air and nutrients to the roots of the plants. Soil aeration can be done in two ways - piercing and piercing.

In the first case, the soil is pierced to a depth of at least 8 centimeters. For work, you can use regular forks or a mechanical aerator. Piercing the soil is quite difficult work and takes a lot of time. Therefore, it is advisable to do piercing only in those places where puddles do not dry up for a long time after watering, or where the grass dries out in hot weather.

Spinning is used to improve turf, the fibrous layer of which inevitably becomes denser over time. To do this, lightly disturb the turf to a depth of no more than 4 centimeters.

Piercing is done using two types of aerators: with solid teeth or an aerator with cutting plates. Impaling is carried out over the entire area of ​​the lawn in dry weather.

soil mulching

Over time, the soil on your lawn becomes uneven. The reason for this is regular intensive watering, mechanical stress and seasonal temperature changes. As a result, the soil loses nutrients necessary for the normal development of plants. The grass becomes faded and loses its original rich green color. To maintain the “health” of the lawn at the required level, mulching is carried out - the lawn is sprinkled with a mixture of peat, sand and fertile soil for the winter. Mulching is most often carried out simultaneously with fertilizing. This will save time and increase the efficiency of both procedures. Mulching allows you to increase the turf layer, so that the grass begins to grow better and the soil is protected from drying out. This type of protection is very important for your lawn.

The mulching procedure is best carried out in late September or early October. The composition of the mixture depends on the soil. If the soil is clayey, then the mixture of sand and peat has the following proportion: 1:4:2. For loamy soils the proportion will be 4:1:2. All ingredients must be dry. The mixture is evenly scattered over the surface of the lawn at the rate of 1.5 kg per 1 square meter. m.

protection against moles

And at the end of our publication, we want to remind you about such a danger to the lawn as moles. The fact is that by autumn a large number of insects and larvae appear in the soil, which provide an excellent treat for the mole. Several of these nimble animals can thoroughly “plow” your lawn in a short time, nullifying all our efforts. Therefore, you should not wait until the first mole appears on your lawn, but stock up on the necessary repellents and traps in advance.

We hope that after reading this material the question “how to prepare a lawn for winter?” won't bother you anymore.

A well-groomed lawn is a decoration for a personal plot. It’s worth taking care of it in the fall and taking a number of necessary measures so as not to restore it again in the spring. Preparing your lawn for winter will help not only preserve its decorative appearance, but also improve its quality, reduce financial costs, time and effort for its arrangement in the future. Caring for lawn grass is not difficult, but a number of agrotechnical measures must be carried out. Then the green lawn will overwinter with minimal losses and in the spring it will delight you with friendly green shoots.

The meaning of autumn care

Autumn is an important season for taking care of your green space. It is necessary to use the last months of the growing season to strengthen and prepare the green cover for winter. The bulk of lawn work occurs in the spring - cleaning up debris accumulated in winter, repairing bald spots in the grass. The effort and time spent caring for your lawn in the fall and preparing for winter the following spring and summer will result in improved quality and health.

The main stages of work include:

  • cutting (mowing) grass;
  • cleaning of autumn plant and any other debris;
  • soil aeration work;
  • soil recharge;
  • treatment with herbicides against weeds;
  • reseeding grass if necessary;
  • if required, remove moss.

The main goal of autumn work is to ensure rapid restoration of the green area in the spring. All work must be completed before the first frost. Additionally, the amount of work your fall lawn requires depends on the wear and tear it experiences during the summer months.

Features of winter mowing

Lawn grass requires constant attention throughout the growing season. As daylight hours decrease and temperatures drop before winter, its growth rate slows. Therefore, in the autumn months, the greenery of home lawns needs to be mowed less often, and the cutting height when mowing the lawn in autumn can be raised, but not higher than 8 cm. The optimal height is 5 cm. If you “guess” the timing of the work, the stems will have time to recover before the start of winter , frosts, but will not grow. Parterre landscaping allows a height of 4 cm.

Before mowing, thoroughly clear the area of ​​leaves and branches. If this is not done, then they will begin to rot under the snow, forming bald spots by spring.

Is it necessary to mow the grass?

The main purpose of grass removal is to ensure the spring friendly growth of fresh greenery in the mow. If you leave it without mowing for the winter, in the spring it will freeze and become lethargic, half-decomposed, and will behave like mulch, trapping young shoots under it.

Another argument in favor: the load on grass roots mown before winter decreases, and they have time to prepare for it and survive without loss. Unmown long stems under the snow cover die and partially rot. This not only prevents the growth of young greenery in the future, but also attracts many rodents in the winter.

As an alternative to mowing, some lawn owners practice spring burning of last year's grass. Although in the future young greenery grows quickly and harmoniously on the ashes, the method itself is risky: without monitoring the spread of fire, there is a risk of destroying valuable plantings. And having mowed the lawn once in the fall, in the spring you can achieve a similar result with respect to young seedlings.

When to mow the lawn before winter

Some difficulty in choosing the last time to mow the grass is as follows:

  • if you mow the lawn too early before winter, the grass will have time to grow back before the cold weather sets in, “pulling” nutrients from the roots and not giving them the opportunity to prepare for the winter;
  • Delay in mowing can result in the lawn freezing.

The best time to mow the grass so that the remains have time to harden before winter, and new greenery does not grow back, is two weeks before permanent frost sets in. You can “catch” the right moment by monitoring weather forecasts in a specific region.

Aeration and its importance

Carrying out work to aerate the lawn allows air to more easily reach the roots, and water to penetrate deeper into the soil, without stagnating on the surface in the form of puddles during the autumn rains and then ice crusts in winter. Only sand-based lawns do not require aeration.

The work itself involves piercing the turf and lifting it slightly, as a result of which the lawn takes on a “disheveled” appearance.

Piercing can be done with a special device - a lawn aerator, but you can get by with a garden fork: they make punctures at a distance of 20-35 cm from each other to a depth of 20 cm. An even simpler device is special attachments with spikes attached to shoes. So work on aerating the lawn comes down to walking on it.

After aeration measures, try not to walk on the “raised” lawn for several days. After the first rains, the upper part of the soil will settle “in place” on its own.

If you prepare the soil in this way, it will overwinter, recovering, and in the spring it will be filled with moisture and air as much as possible.

Watering and fertilizing

Naturally, lawn watering is reduced in the fall. They are carried out only when the soil dries out - if the weather is warm without precipitation for a week. The best option is sprinkling. In any case, care should be taken to ensure that due to the uneven surface of the lawn, puddles do not accumulate on it. This leads to rotting of the grass in these places, and after the formation of an ice crust - bald spots.

Fertilizing with mineral fertilizers in the fall will ensure friendly and rapid growth of greenery in the spring. Potassium and phosphorus have a positive effect on root formation. Nitrogen stimulates the growth of green mass, so those who are interested in highly decorative grass coverage in the autumn months can recommend complex fertilizer formulations that include nitrogen components. The color of the grass will be emerald green all fall, but there will be more work to mow the growing stems.

Some landscapers recommend the autumn application of deoxidizers - chalk or lime flour - into the soil, considering this beneficial for the health of both the grass itself (increased acidity delays the absorption of nutrients by the roots) and the plantings located next to the lawn.

Deoxidation will also allow you to more effectively fight moss and weeds. Fertilizers are fed to the lawn soil one and a half months after applying deoxidizers.

Do I need shelter for the winter?

There is no need for mandatory shelter for the winter period if the autumn lawn care activities have been completed in full and the “winter” rules are followed:

  • before snow falls, the area is completely cleared of plant debris that provokes the development of dampness, decay, and disease;
  • snow is not removed from the lawn area;
  • Before the formation of a snow layer at least 30 cm thick, try not to walk on the lawn. Maximum - clear paths if necessary;
  • When a dense crust forms - a crust of ice on top of snow - it is broken with an ordinary rake to provide oxygen to the soil.

If you decide to cover your lawn in winter, the composition of the mixture depends on the characteristics of the soil. It is optimal to use peat, sand and soil taken in equal proportions. A mixture of peat and dry compost will at the same time eliminate some of the hassle of enriching depleted soil.

Timing of pre-winter preparation in different climatic zones

To determine the date of the last grass cutting and other work that allows you to prepare your lawn for winter, you should focus on the weather forecast for a particular region. Taking into account that the optimal time for this is half a month before the onset of stable frosts:

  • in areas with a temperate climate, including for lawns wintering in the Moscow region, pre-winter work should be carried out in late September-early October;
  • in the southern regions - at the end of October or beginning of November;
  • in the northern zone, Trans-Urals and Siberia - in the second half of September.

A set of simple measures carried out on time means time saved in the spring for the restoration and repair of the lawn, improving its appearance and improving the health of the grass surface.

Lawn care work in October consists of: in properly preparing the lawn for winter. Typically, mid to late October is when we mow the lawn for the last time as the grass stops growing. Before winter, you need to mow the lawn at a height of no more than 3 centimeters. The grass stand should not lie under the snow and rot; it should be evenly covered with snow. If weather conditions have allowed the grass to grow back, take the time to mow the lawn to the desired height again.

Sir Mildred Pierce / Flickr.com

After the last mowing, it is necessary to carry out such care measures for the lawn as scarification. Such activities can and should be started with “three-year-olds,” especially with thickened lawns, during the sowing of which, in order to achieve a better and faster result, the norms for sowing seeds were violated, or with overfed lawns, for the same good purposes. Scarification should not be confused with combing, although part of the lawn combing also occurs during scarification. Using powerful professional equipment with a gasoline engine and deep enough immersion of knives into the ground, you can achieve remarkable results. How does a scarifier work? Floating blades, set at the right depth, cut through the dense turf of your lawn, giving shock therapy to the plant. For a week or two, the appearance of the grass will not be very attractive, red and in some places even shabby. After all, all the problem areas will immediately be exposed, and you will understand where you just need to sow and where to repair the lawn. By the way, the repair of an older or problematic lawn should begin with scarification.

What result do we achieve with scarification?

Cutting through the turf: stimulates grass tillering, shoot formation, the grass becomes thicker, and your lawn is rejuvenated.

Organic (and other) debris, moss, straw accumulated over the years is removed, the so-called “combing” of the lawn occurs, and not only the surface turf.

The access of air to the roots of plants, as well as moisture and fertilizers directly into the formed grooves, improves, the soil is loosened.

The soil is leveled, hummocks are cut off, the relief is smoothed, and the work of the mini-grader is visually noticeable.

lamcopphis/Flickr.com

You can work with a grass catcher, but practice and experience show that it is best to use the “eject” function. You need to work a little “overlapping” so as not to miss a centimeter. And areas in the immediate vicinity of plantings and decorative elements can be processed with a metal fan rake, capturing places where the scarifier did not reach. Two such procedures a year are enough, in spring and autumn, and your lawn will be in perfect order, and you will save money and better purchase high-quality material for overseeding and good fertilizers.

We collect the resulting waste manually using a light fan rake. It is very advisable to water the lawn after this procedure, and if you did not feed the lawn in September with autumn fertilizers, then feed it. It will be very useful autumn application of dolomite flour. Dolomite flour will not only normalize the acidity of the soil under your lawn, but will also improve its structure, and will also quietly and quietly fight weeds and harmful insects. Choose “dolomite” because it will not interfere with the simultaneous absorption of phosphorus in conventional lawn fertilizers and will even improve their output. The addition of dolomite flour is especially important for lawns where mosses, mushrooms, and plantain with wood lice actively grow. This means that the soil there is acidic and dolomite flour must be added based on the calculation of 50 kg per one hundred square meters. If the soils are slightly acidic, or close to neutral, then your frequent guests are dandelions, clover and coltsfoot. For such lawns, 45-40 kg per hundred square meters will be enough.

Eden, Janine and Jim / Flickr.com

If you really wish, you can carry out procedures such as sanding or mulching with peat in the fall, after scarification, depending on what soil your lawn is built on. If the soil under your lawn is heavy, moisture-absorbing and loamy, then you need to rub sand directly into the grooves formed by the scarifier blades. If the soil on the site is poor sandy loam, then it is necessary to add either neutralized (not acidic) peat or fertile soil with peat.

Be sure to ensure that fallen leaves and other objects are not left lying on your lawn over the winter. All leaves, debris, branches, logs, boards, pools, lawn furniture and garden tools must be removed from the lawn. Otherwise, in the spring you will get bare bald spots in these places.

Regardless of the type, the lawn before winter requires proper preparation. The set of preparatory measures should be focused on the soil and climatic conditions characteristic of each region.

Lawn care in autumn: features of preparation for winter

Standard lawn care in the fall must include a set of mandatory procedures, including irrigation, grass mowing, fertilization and soil aeration. Usually, the entire list of work is carried out from September to October, before frost sets in.

Last cut: when and how to mow the lawn before winter

The list of mandatory activities includes the last haircut that needs to be performed, based on the following recommendations:

  • if not trimmed, it withers and lies down in time, and in the spring this layer acts as mulch, preventing new shoots from sprouting;
  • It is necessary to cut the lawn grass for the last time closer to a steady cold snap, observing the weather conditions;
  • You can use mowed grass as fertilizer for beds from which the entire harvest has already been harvested or for adding to compost;
  • starting in September, the soil cools down quite significantly, which significantly slows down the growth of the lawn and it is no longer possible to mow too low.

The average height of the grass stand should be approximately 50 mm. Mowing more vigorously has a negative impact on the condition of the lawn and can deplete it.

How to care for your lawn in autumn (video)

Fertilizing and aeration

Properly preparing your lawn for winter is not too difficult, but to do this you need to provide adequate nutrition in the autumn and saturate the upper soil layers with sufficient oxygen. It should be remembered that the quantity and composition of autumn feeding must be special, which will allow you to get a lush lawn next year:

  • Do not use fertilizers that contain nitrogen-containing components in the autumn;
  • the main components of fertilizers that are used to feed grasses of any type in preparation for winter should be phosphorus and potassium, which do not provoke growth processes, but strengthen the root system and increase the level of winter hardiness;
  • Potassium fertilizer can be wood ash or potassium sulfate, as well as special autumn compositions for feeding lawn grass;
  • fertilizing is carried out before irrigation activities.

A very important stage of preparation is performing aeration with special equipment. Aeration in small areas can be done with a fork, which must be used to pierce the turf very carefully.

Mulching the lawn

Proper preparation also includes such an event as mulching. As the lawn grows and develops, the soil becomes less smooth, which is due to regular watering, as well as changing seasons and mechanical stress. Such features provoke the loss of soil composition of minerals and salts, which are very necessary for the normal growth and development of plants. As a result, not only the appearance of the coating deteriorates, but also pronounced bald spots appear.

The situation can be corrected by using mulch, which can be a special mixture of peat, sand and fertile soil. As a rule, mulching activities are supplemented with fertilizing, which helps to increase the efficiency of the procedures. Mulch also prevents the soil from drying out and increases fertility as a result of saturation with nutritional components. By mulching it is possible to increase winter hardiness and prevent the spread of weeds.

Mulch is poured onto the grass cover in late September or early October. It is optimal to use the following mixtures for this purpose:

  • on clay soils - garden soil, sand and peat in a ratio of 2:4:1;
  • on loamy soils - garden soil, sand and peat in a ratio of 4:2:1.

All components must be dry. The mixture is distributed evenly over the lawn, at the rate of one and a half kilograms per square meter.

Pest protection

It is recommended to carry out protective spraying precisely in the autumn, after the average daily air temperature drops to plus 5 °C. The greatest effectiveness was shown by spraying the grass with a modern systemic antifungal drug. It is recommended to use drugs such as Fundazol or Benomyl. Very important In the spring, when steady warming sets in, repeat the treatment, which will prevent the lawn from being damaged by the snow mold pathogen.

How to prepare your lawn for winter (video)

How to protect your lawn in winter

The ice crust, under which the lawn grass feels very difficult, must be destroyed in a timely manner, otherwise the lack of respiration will negatively affect wintering. You can destroy the ice crust using ski poles, rakes or garden forks, as well as other suitable objects. A small amount of potassium chloride can also make it easier to break down the crust on frosty days..

Ice and trampled snow have a very bad effect on the condition of the perennial grass cover. You cannot place a ski track on top of the lawn. It is especially dangerous to fill the surface of the skating rink with warm water, which melts the snow.

Features of sowing a lawn before winter

It is recommended to base the timing of sowing work on soil and weather conditions., which will allow you to plant the lawn before frost. Otherwise, the sprouted seeds do not have time to become sufficiently strong and freeze out during periods of severe cold.

During the period of optimal freezing of the ground, but before the appearance of snow cover. In this case, the planting material undergoes stratification under the influence of frost and gains excellent resistance to temperature changes and pathogens. In the spring, the melting of the snow cover creates the most favorable conditions for the germination of lawn grass, which guarantees successful seedlings.

Before sowing, the area must be cleared of debris and weeds, as well as plan the placement of the lawn and level the soil surface. On the prepared site, sowing work can be carried out in about three weeks. You need to scatter fertilizers over the surface of the soil and use a rake to work the fertilizer into the soil. For sowing, special lawn seeders or hydroseeding devices are used. Sowing work should be done in calm, cloudy weather. Crops must be provided not only with adequate nutrition, but also with sufficient moisture.

Lawn care after winter

The lawn will need no less attention after the winter cold. With the onset of stable spring warmth It is very important to feed the soil correctly and in a timely manner until the young grass grows. Comprehensive care measures necessarily include spring feeding.

Complete fertilizers, in addition to phosphorus-potassium components, must necessarily contain nitrogen-containing substances. Only a fully balanced composition will ensure high-quality plant growth. Feeding should be done in the evening hours. It is recommended to water the lawn thoroughly to ensure complete dissolution of the fertilizer.

About one and a half to two weeks after fertilizing, you need to “comb” the lawn grass. This procedure helps ensure air access to the roots of the plants. Late removal of dead grass is often the main cause. Also aeration is performed in spring, which is especially important in areas of stagnant moisture and in lowlands. In small areas, the process of removing weeds is carried out manually. On large lawns, it is advisable to use selective herbicides. In addition, it is very important to carry out restoration work that involves sowing seeds in bare areas.

Aerating the lawn after winter (video)

As many years of practice have shown, properly planted and cared for lawn grasses, regardless of the type, do not freeze out in the winter if there is a stable snow cover. However, to maintain its decorative appeal, it is very important to properly prepare the grass surface for frost by performing the entire set of measures, including watering, fertilizing, aeration, prevention and mulching.

A modern summer cottage is not only the presence of beds, garden trees, shrubs and flower beds, but also a beautiful thick lawn.

A green, well-groomed lawn adds splendor to the area and unites vegetation and buildings into a single, cohesive space. It’s nice to walk barefoot on the dewy grass in the morning, or lie on a sun lounger on a sunny day.

Flower arrangements, decoratively flowering trees and shrubs against the backdrop of a green lawn look especially beautiful.

But like many plants, it also needs care and preparation for wintering.

Types of lawn

Among the lawns that are usually installed on personal plots, the following types can be distinguished.

Parterre - a high-quality lawn, installed in the most formal places, often around the house, does not tolerate trampling. The grasses of such a lawn are soft and grow densely, creating a thick green “carpet”.

Ordinary lawn set up anywhere on the site. Used as a recreation area. In terms of decorative properties it is inferior to a parterre lawn, but at the same time it is less whimsical; you can walk on it without fear of damaging it.

More often it can be found around a decorative pond, in combination with alpine slides. It looks like a blooming lawn, since in addition to grasses for the lawn, the composition includes wildflowers that bloom at different times (forest me-not, red clover, alyssium, poppy, etc.).

Sports turf Designed for outdoor activities and sports fields, it is the most durable and is not afraid of trampling. But at the stage of its formation, it is necessary to adhere to the technology developed for the construction of a sports lawn.

In addition to the main types of lawn, there are so-called subspecies. But today we’ll talk in more detail about how to prepare your lawn for winter.

How to prepare your lawn for winter?

While harvesting and preparing the beds for winter, don’t forget about the lawn, even if it occupies a small part of your garden. Only with proper lawn care will it delight you from spring to autumn. Try to complete all work to prepare your lawn for winter before the first frost.

At the preparatory stage, it is necessary to clear the lawn of debris, fallen leaves and rotten grass using a fan rake. Next, you need to cut or mow the grass, leaving it 5-7 cm high. In the fall, you need to mow the lawn less often than in the summer - once every two weeks, since plant growth slows down.

The last time to mow the lawn before winter is in early October., but this is typical for the middle zone. In the southern regions, cold weather comes later, and in the northern regions, snow may fall as early as October.

It is necessary to mow the lawn in the winter, but not too short, you need to leave it at least 5 cm high. Strongly grown grass will wither with the onset of frost, and in the spring it can become an obstacle to new young shoots. After mowing the lawn, be sure to remove the clippings.

September is the time to fertilize your lawn before winter.. Usually these are phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. After fertilizing the soil, it is necessary to water the lawn so that the fertilizer granules dissolve and do not cause chemical burns to the grass. Some experts advise adding a deoxidizing agent (chalk, lime flour, etc.) to the lawn.

If you find bald spots on your lawn, sow the seeds of a grass mixture better than the one you sowed initially, so that the newly grown grass does not differ from that already growing on the site. Apply sifted compost in a 2-3 cm layer to yellowed areas of the lawn. Overseeding of grasses can be left until spring. In the fall, fill the resulting holes with a mixture of sand and humus and lightly compact them.

The next step in preparing your lawn for winter will be soil aeration. where it grows. In other words, you need to puncture the lawn to a depth of no more than 20 cm. This is especially true for clay soils. Punctures can be made with a pitchfork every 30-40 cm, slightly lifting the turf.

This way you will provide soil drainage and air access to the plant root system. After completing drainage work, you should not walk on the lawn for 2-3 days. For a lawn on sandy soils, this stage of work can be neglected; water in such soils drains on its own.

Before the onset of frost, it is better to cover the lawn with a mixture of peat and dry compost. This will be a good feed for tired soil.

Some rules for lawn care in the cold season

  • Before the lawn is covered with snow in a layer of at least 15-20 cm, you should not walk on it. Follow this rule during the rainy season. At this time, lawn grass is most vulnerable.
  • It is better to break up the ice crust that has formed on the lawn as a result of the winter thaw to allow air to reach the plants.
  • For the same reason, do not flood the lawn with a roller.
  • Do not allow snow to fall onto the lawn after cleaning the paths, and if this happens, then with the arrival of the thaw, free the lawn from deposits, otherwise bald spots may form in these places, which will spoil the appearance of the lawn with the arrival of spring.

Lawn care after winter

The lawn requires no less attention after winter. With the arrival of stable warmth, it is necessary to feed the soil even before the young grass grows. The fertilizer complex, in addition to phosphorus and potassium components, must contain nitrogen, which promotes better plant growth. Fertilize in the evening and water the lawn generously until the fertilizer is completely dissolved.

After 1.5-2 weeks it is necessary to “comb out” the lawn. This procedure will provide air access to the root system of the plants. The resulting felt, if not combed out, can lead to grass disease.

In spring, as well as in autumn, it is necessary to aerate the lawn. This can only be done in places where water stagnates, in lower areas.

With the arrival of warmer weather, weeds begin to actively grow on moist soil. The fight against them in small areas of the lawn can be done mechanically or manually. But if the lawn area is large, then a chemical method of weed control comes to the rescue - the application of selective herbicides that will destroy weeds without damaging the lawn.

In the spring, it is necessary to restore the lawn by sowing seeds on bare areas. The sown area must be compacted and watered.

Treat everything you do with love, and the result will undoubtedly please you!

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