5 Winter Lawn Care Tips In St. Charles, MO
Due to Missouri’s hot summers and freezing winters, seasonal lawn maintenance is necessary in order to maintain a beautiful lawn. Unfortunately, many St. Charles homeowners neglect their lawns when temperatures start to drop. While we understand not wanting to work outside in the cold, keeping your lawn healthy during the offseason is a relatively easy process. Here are 5 simple tips to keep your lawn in good shape during the winter and ready for summer.
1. Break up deep areas of snow
Anytime snow piles up on the grass, it can lead to the growth of snow mold fungal disease. Depending on where you live, there is a good chance your lawn has had this disease in the past. When you have piles of deep snow that melt slowly, this disease can occur.
To prevent this from happening you will need to break up any deep areas of snow. Look for areas that have an overhang where snow may collect. Spread the snow out evenly. Doing so will cause the snow to melt quicker and prevent snow mold fungal disease from setting in.
2. Keep your grass short
During the autumn months, especially in late October, it is important to cut your lawn 1 to 2 inches shorter than you normally have. By lowering the blade on your lawnmower, you cut off the fragile growth and leave only the hardier portions of the grass. Doing so will make it less likely your grass will dry out and succumb to fungal disease over the winter months.
3. Don’t work in the lawn when it’s wet
Performing yard work while your lawn is wet or damp is an easy way to damage your grass. During the winter months, your turf is in a dormant state. This means the grass cannot repair itself like it normally can during spring and summer. Also, due to low temperatures and limited sunlight, your lawn won’t be able to dry out, which will cause it to stay wet for a prolonged period of time. In a hard frost or freeze, try your best to avoid walking on your lawn.
4. Remove debris and dead leaves from your lawn
During winter, there will be areas on your lawn that accumulate debris such as sticks, leaves, and dead grasses. As soon as you are able to, go outside and remove the debris from your lawn. Wait until the snow has melted to do this. When cleaning up leaves and other debris, it’s best to use a blower on your lawn instead of a rake. At this point in the year, your lawn is typically dormant and by raking leaves you run the risk of damaging your grass. Using a leaf blower, however, ensures the debris will be removed without damaging your lawn.
5. Leave it alone
Most people will use fertilizer in early spring to try and bring their lawn back to life. Resist the urge to do this. Apply fertilizer in the fall and that should be sufficient through winter. Do not fertilize again until late spring once your lawn has shed its dormancy. Fertilizing too early will only lead to damaging your new grass. Besides acting on the tips we’ve provided, you should leave your lawn alone during the winter and early spring months.
As your local St. Charles lawn care provider, we care about the health and beauty of your lawn. We want your lawn to look good all year round. If you follow the tips just provided your lawn will be healthy and ready to go when summer arrives. If you follow these five St. Charles Lawn Care tips you will be pleasantly surprised by the results later this spring.
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