If having a beautiful lawn in front of your house or business is a matter of pride for you, you'll want to take a little extra time to ensure that your turf survives the winter intact and undamaged. Find out what you can do to give your grass some TLC before winter really hits.
Overseeding
If you live in an area with warm-season grasses and mild winters, you can add annual or perennial ryegrass on top of your regular grass. This process is called overseeding, and it can produce fresh growth that will keep your lawn looking green throughout the cooler months. Make sure that you get this done before the first frost or during a warm spell in the fall.
Spot-Treating Weeds
If you decide not to overseed, you'll notice that your grass goes dormant once the cold weather really sets in. It will turn a nondescript shade of beige or light brown. That doesn't mean it's dead; it is simply a survival mechanism. Deep under the ground, your grass's roots are still alive, waiting for the warmth of spring to send out green growth again.
Thanks to the beige grass, any cold-weather weeds stand out sharply green against the dull backdrop of your turf. Grab some weed-killer and get to work spot-treating those weeds. Make sure that you use weed killer that is harsh on broad-leaf weeds and harmless with grass.
Mowing
If you have a lot of weeds, too many to spot-treat, you can mow them down instead. Keep mowing your lawn throughout the early winter, until hard frost and snow set in. The winter weeds will keep getting chopped off, and eventually, they will die. Make sure to include a bag attachment on your mower so you can scoop up the weed leftovers, along with any seeds.
Leaving It Alone
During hard freezes or snow cover, avoid walking on your turf. If you keep trudging across the lawn, driving on its edges, or otherwise impacting it while it is frozen, you can cause serious damage. To avoid seeing those bare strips and spots pop up during the spring, leave your lawn alone when it is snow-covered or frozen.
Filling In Vole Runways
When the spring thaw comes, keep an eye out for shallow vole trails running along the surface of your lawn. These mouse-like creatures munch on grass roots and create runways through the snow, right along the surface of your lawn. The ruts they leave behind are usually simple to repair with a little extra soil and some grass seed. If voles are becoming a serious problem, call in an expert to help.
Contact Kurtz Bros., Inc. to get your grass seed, extra soil, and other supplies to keep your turf healthy. We're also happy to do consultations and give advice about lawn repair and maintenance, stormwater management, and other issues of interest to homeowners and business owners.