Lawn care that is specifically designed for winter ideally needs to begin as soon as the summer is over and autumn’s leaves begin to fall. This is a time of year when the days become a lot shorter quite quickly following the long, lighter days of the summer. With temperatures being much cooler, and winter fast approaching to mark the end of yet another yearly lawn regeneration cycle, gardeners need make preparations before it starts again in the spring.
Lawn care should be at the top of the list for lawn gardeners to ensure that lawns get the best chance of making it through the cold, heavy winter. A small lawn care jobs list will ensure that lawns will survive these tougher circumstances.
Clearing leaves and fallen branches or twigs is one of the most useful things that can be done. Because of windy conditions, lawn debris from trees can increase during the autumn months leading up to the winter. If they are not removed then it’s highly likely that damp, un-aerated patches will form below the fallen matter, which can do damage to a lawn.
Next, lawn care gardeners should give the lawn a good raking – often referred to as scarification, this should be done using the correct equipment designed specifically for this purpose. The seemingly endless summer weeks of lawn mowing can leave most lawns with a layer of cut grass just above the soil known as ‘thatch’. The thatch is bad for lawns because it prevents rainwater soaking away into the soil, creating damp and wet areas prone to disease. Grass can also be prevented from forming properly.
Lawn care can also be a useful drainage aid. When a lawn is used a lot, compaction can be caused which is a problem. Aeration is a way to return the lawn to a good condition through a method called spiking. Getting more air circulating and more water drainage, the lawn care gardener can use a garden fork to create holes some inches deep into the lawn. This process does not damage the lawn, despite it’s somewhat violent appearance, and expert lawn care gardeners recommend it.
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