12 Things You Should be Doing as Your Lawn Prepares for Winter

Raise your mower height to 2″

Most of the summer it is 1.5 to 1.75″.

Make sure you are watering

Lawns need water anytime it’s growing, especially to take advantage of fertilizers, which are ideally placed in the fall.

Fertilize

There is no better time.

Spray for weeds.

Best time of the year for perennial weed control. If you’re only going to kill weeds once per year, make it now. Perennial weeds include dandelions, thistles, morning glory.

Repair dead spots.

It’s also the best time of year for seeding or sod, and if there is trouble, you can redo sections in the spring too.

Dethatch.

Great time to get rid of the extra debris blocking up your roots.

Aerate.

Pulling out cores of dirt gives your roots access to water, nutrietns, and oxygen, and rhizomes grow across the holes. It increases availbe places for rain and snow to accumulate too.

Top Dress

Compost, eco, or soil) (1/4” thick)

When leaves fall

Either shred them (mulch) or rake them off. You can compost them after they’re off, but don’t leave them on the grass. They will get hammered down by rain, and form an airtight barrier, killing your grass and promoting fungus trouble.

Dormant Oil

This is a great time to spray confiers and deciduous plants (after leaves are off) to kill insect eggs.

Insects

Insects coming into your house. Ants, spiders, carpenter ants, mice, Box elder bugs.

Icy Lawn?

When your lawn is iced over, or very frosted, DO NOT walk on it. You will destroy every blade of grass you bend; it will break like a popsicle.