As you know, winter in this part of the country is much different than in other regions. While we never quite experience the lows of a place such as the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the weather here can cool off to the extent that it’s necessary to prepare your lawn for winter. What that means for the North Central and Northeastern Florida homeowners is that they need lawn care tips for the winter that can get their yard ready for this unique season.
With many years of experience serving this community with our high-end lawn maintenance packages, we’ve developed several best practices that we employ in our line of work. Today, we wanted to share them with you to help you with the prep work. So, without further delay, here are some of our favorite lawn care tips for winter!
Consider performing a soil test
Did you know that one of the first things you should do to prepare your lawn for winter is to perform a soil test? It’s one of our best lawn care tips for winter because it can help identify underlying — if sometimes minor — issues with your yard before they become major problems.
Have you ever had to test the pH levels of your swimming pool to ensure it was in balance? Your soil isn’t much different in this case. Most plant life prefers a more neutral pH level, though some grasses (depending on what you have in your yard) may have specific requirements. In addition, you can often get a better idea if your lawn needs any added nutrients with this simple step.
Get the leaves raked up right away
Second on our list of lawn care tips for winter is something that isn’t a one-and-done deal. Leaves fall, well, in the fall. As the season progresses, more and more of these find their way to the ground.
Now consider this. For your lawn, this is the equivalent of trying to “breathe” through a thick blanket for you or me. It’s not the easiest, and after a little while you’ll feel more worn out.
Leaves are, in this case, the blanket in our example. This is a simple way of saying that leaves should be removed right away. As they fall, rake them up right away. It may take a few times to get rid of them all, but it’s a great way to ensure your lawn is well-prepared for the upcoming winter season.
Remember your watering schedule
So what about watering? Unlike other parts of the country where the rain gives way to snow during the winter months, that obviously isn’t the case down here. So when it comes to watering, does that mean you should continue to do so throughout the fall?
In most cases yes, though we want to caution you on a free-for-all approach to watering. In fact, our specific area has restrictions on how and when you can water, and those change throughout the year. We published a blog recently on this topic, though we mention it again today because it’s a great way to prepare your lawn for the winter months by turning down your water frequency.
Prune your shrubs and trees
So, the next of our list of lawn care tips for winter revolves around other things that can “fall” on your lawn. Specifically, we’re talking about branches from shrubs and trees.
In the case of shrubs, depending on where these are in your yard they may be unintentionally blocking sunlight from getting to your lawn, leading to the growth of weeds. This is a minor concern, however, when compared to dead tree branches that tend to fall during heavier windstorms. When possible, it’s always a great idea to trim these so that they don’t cause havoc with your lawn later in the year. And, much like leaves, it’s important to remove them early so that your yard can breathe.
Don’t forget about removing thatch and aeration
Keeping with the idea of letting your yard get what it needs, next to last on our list of lawn care tips for winter is removing thatch and aeration.
First, what is thatch? It’s dead organic material. This includes bugs and decomposing plantlike. Over time, these tend to clump together and can cause problems with your soil and roots of your lawn getting the water or nutrients it needs. Using a stiff rake is the best way to get rid of these problematic materials.
But as the second part of this tip, you’ll want to aerate your lawn as well in preparation for the upcoming winter months. Aeration is a process of poking “holes” into your soil. They’re small, letting the water get deeper into the ground itself. There are multiple ways to aerate your lawn, including with a rake-like manual device or a rolling aerator. Either way, it’s important to do this before we get deep into the winter months.
Raise your mower deck
Mowing frequency is something that some homeowners don’t always think about because of time constraints. For them, it’s more of a “do I have the time” compared to a “what is best for my yard?” type of thought.
We want to encourage you, however, to raise the mower deck. Even if your yard doesn’t need to be mowed as often in general right now, it’s always a good idea to mow more often, leaving the blades of grass taller. This lets them absorb more light and creates an overall healthier appearance.
Lawn care tips for winter: the secret solution
Of course, all of these tips are ones that you can take care of on your own. However, for the last on our list of the ultimate lawn care tips for winter, consider partnering with a firm that can take care of it for you!
Sun Power Lawn Care has been helping customers throughout Northern Florida for many years. We take care of your winter lawn prep so that you don’t have to. We’ll gladly make certain that your yard is good to go and would love to chat with you more about how we can help. Contact our team by giving us a call at (352) 507-5296 or by sending us a short message here for more details!
Here are some great resources to help your lawn look its best:
Lawn Care Tips for Beginners — Building the Foundation for a Stunning Lawn
Lawn Care Tips for Fall — Preparing Your Yard for the Changing Season
How to Overseed a Lawn: Step-by-Step Guide for Lush and Healthy Turf
