For many Ohio homeowners, winter is the time to put away your lawn care tools and ignore your yard until spring. However, much of the maintenance you need to do for a healthy spring lawn actually starts in the winter. Factors like precipitation, freezing temperatures, and other elements can affect your lawn’s health during the season of dormancy. So, make sure to follow these winter lawn care tips from your friends at Portage Turf Specialists, LLC for a healthy spring lawn.
Mowing Tips
When you set out to mow your lawn for the last time of the season, make sure you set the blades just a little lower than normal. The “perfect” height for grass in the winter should be between 2 to 2 1/5 inches high so that it’s not too tall to invite snow mold, but not too short to be stressed out by cold weather. Generally, your lawn will stop growing when temperatures drop below 50 degrees during the day, usually in late October or early November. So keep an eye on the weather and plan your last cut accordingly.
Keep Off the Grass
When the weather drops and frost and snow become a daily threat, it’s important to stay off your grass as much as possible. Make sure you don’t leave a pile of leaves on your lawn as they can suffocate your grass and invite disease. And when frost is on the ground, try to avoid walking on it as much as possible. Pressure inflicted on grass blades can actually cause the cell walls to burst and damage the plant. Depending on the type of turf you have, it may recover by spring, however, repeatedly leaving footsteps across the lawn may cause irreparable damage.
Fertilize and Control Weeds
Starting from the ground up, Portage Turf specializes in lawn fertilizer solutions for every lawn and for every season. Our natural approach uses slow-release fertilizers that greatly reduce the number of chemicals needed, often less than an ounce. Check out our Premium 5-Step Application Schedule that includes applications in the late fall and early spring to give your lawn protection year-round
Proper winter lawn care creates a strong foundation for a healthy spring lawn. To get started, contact Portage Turf Specialists in Ravenna, OH today at (330) 296-8873. Also, be sure to check out our specials, and read our client reviews to see how we’ve helped improve many lawns in the area.