With winter fast approaching and the temperatures dropping every day, it’s important to know how you’re going to handle your lawn maintenance in the approaching months of cold weather. While it isn’t as simple as leaving your lawn and plants be, and tending to them occasionally over the winter season, it is quite easy. At Cypress Lawn, we’ve compiled a list of suggestions and tips for fall lawn winterization for your lawn.
Feed and Water it frequently:
In the weeks leading up to the winter season, be sure to feed and water your lawn and plants frequently in order to help them maintain an optimum health. Because of the imminent cold setting in, the autumn weeks preceding winter are the most vital time to ensure your lawn gets the nutrients it needs. As a general guideline to the nutrients to apply that will best aid your lawn during the cold weather, first lay down a fertilizer that is high in nitrogen and water the lawn. After a few days—usually 4-7—apply another fertilizer that is high in phosphorus. The fertilizer that is high in nitrogen will help the lawn maintain its health during the cold winter, and will help keep it from turning colors drastically or dying. The second application of fertilizer is high in phosphorus which will help the lawn to be fertile and ready to plant in the spring after the winter.
While many states in the deep South of the U.S. don’t need to employ these fertilizing tactics due to their climate, coastal regions of the states—including the Gulf Coast area of Texas—should use these fertilizing tactics to ensure their lawn stays healthy and fertile through the winter.
Repair heat-weathered damage:
Now is the perfect time to repair damaged areas of your lawn from the scorching summer heat. Reseeding, germinating, and making sure these areas get the nutrition they need is essential to keeping a healthy lawn, and with the approaching cold, the weeks leading up to winter are the perfect time to mend these damaged areas.
Continue to maintain your garden:
If you are one of the many homeowners who plants and maintains a fruit and vegetable garden on your lawn, be sure to not tuck it away just yet! There are many fruits and vegetables that germinate and harvest in the colder weather. In fact, many vegetables aren’t even affected by light frost in the evening or early morning; greens like lettuce and spinach thrive in the colder weather and can even be harvested within 30 days of planting, giving you the perfect amount of time to harvest some home-grown vegetables before the winter comes in and you have to tuck in the garden for a few weeks.
Don’t Prune as much:
Many people are frequent to prune their plants during the spring, summer, and autumn seasons, however it is not recommended to prune during the weeks leading up to the winter and during the winter. Pruning promotes growth in plants, and the last thing you want to do is promote growth in your plants when they are about to go dormant for a couple months during the cold season.
Transplant your trees and shrubs:
The autumn time is the perfect time to transplant your shrubs and trees, especially in the South. Transplanting trees and shrubs during the autumn gives them a much longer season to get their roots established. While the plants are dormant during the winter time and the cold weather is lingering, the roots beneath the soil will establish themselves in their new area and by the time spring roles around, they will have a steady foundation from which to feed; in short, the tree is dormant so it is putting all of its energy into root growth.
Contact today for more specifics on fall lawn winterization
If you have more specific questions regarding the type of grass on your lawn, the species of trees, shrubs or flowers in your beds, or you simply need to request a quote regarding lawn work and fall lawn winterization before the cold season sets in, contact Cypress Lawn today and we’ll be glad to help you and your lawn flourish.