With the onset of a colder climate, it’s tempting to think that your hard work is all done and lay off the yard work. It’s very easy to stay indoors and wait until your lawn becomes active again in spring. However, if left unattended, in no time some common problems can become ingrained issues and leave your lawn looking worse for wear.
Here at Hi Quality Turf, we’ve been providing quality lawn advice for more than 40 years. We have extensive experience caring for lawns in all types of environments and climate. We’ve put together this blog to help guide you with key lawn maintenance steps to take during winter, helping to keep your lawn healthy and vibrant.
Weed Removal
Winter can be a hard time for your lawn. There’s extra moisture around and with unfavourable conditions, your lawn goes into a period of dormancy. Weeds take every advantage of this state and aim to fill any possible gaps.
Weeds prevalent during this time of year include; bindi, thistles, clover and dandelions. If you notice one or two weeds, before they gain a foothold you can remove them by hand. If you have more of an outbreak on your hands, a targeted herbicide is an effective treatment option. This type of herbicide will target a specific weed without causing damage to your lawn, but always make sure you read the label to ensure it’s compatible with your lawn variety.
Alternatively, to stay ahead of the game, you can try applying a pre-emergent herbicide. This is a product that inhibits weed growth before it even starts, but again make sure you check for compatibility with your lawn.
Fertilising
The application of a slow-release fertiliser is an essential part of maintaining your lawn healthy during winter.
During this colder climate, your lawn goes into dormancy and grass growth slows right down, it however still needs a steady supply of nutrients. A quality slow-release fertiliser with a good NPK ratio (Nitrogen, Phosphorus & Potassium) is ideal to help your lawn survive the cool winter period. In order to ensure efficient nutrition uptake, it’s recommended for application to occur in Autumn prior to the onset of lawn dormancy.
Aeration
Compacted lawns are things of nightmares. Often a high volume of foot traffic and higher temperatures can lead to significant soil compaction. This can limit the grass’s roots from receiving the nutrients it needs, diminishing your lawn’s overall health.
In winter this problem can become ingrained and needs to be addressed before further damage is done. Aerating your lawn (creating holes so that water, air and nutrients can more easily get to the roots) is one of the best ways to manage compaction. Depending on the size of your lawn you have a few options available, including; a garden fork, aerating sandals, or for more involved jobs a core aerator.
Watering
Over winter, your lawn’s watering needs are greatly reduced, and you should generally only water on an as-needed basis. You can tell when your grass needs watering when it’s starting to look very dry and the leaf is wilting. If needed, you should apply watering in the mornings, preferably before 10 am to avoid putting further stress on the grass. You don’t want to put excess moisture into the soil as this will only encourage compaction.
Over-watering your lawn during winter can leave the grass vulnerable to fungi and may result in frost damage.
Mowing
During winter your lawn will become dormant with only limited growth occurring, As such, you should avoid mowing unless it’s necessary. In a colder climate, dependent on your type of lawn, you should aim to mow your lawn once every three to four weeks and use a higher cut (do not cut the grass lower than 2.5cm). By allowing the leaf to grow longer and at a greater height, the grass will be able to better absorb sunlight and nutrients, better blocking out weeds and retaining its colour for longer.
Cutting the grass too low will run the risk of damaging the grass resulting in scalping and browning. This type of repeated damage will only weaken the grass making it susceptible to the onset of weeds and diseases.
With reduced mowing needs, this is also a good time of the year to perform any required maintenance on your lawn mower.
Minimise Damage from Frost
While the ocean’s warmth protects the fringe around our shores, winter frost is increasingly frequent and can even be severe in many areas throughout Australia.
If you live in an area where frost can be prevalent, there’s a few steps that you can take to minimise any damage. As a preventive measure the night before an expected frost, make sure you give your grass a deep watering. This watering will allow moisture to slowly evaporate overnight causing friction and heat around the glass blades. During the night, as temperatures drop to below freezing, your turf will maintain a slightly higher temperature from the surrounding evaporating heat process, giving your lawn that helping hand to avoid reaching the freezing temperature that causes plant cell wall damage.
If it’s too late and frost has had a chance to develop, do not walk on it. Wait until the sun is warm enough to melt the frost, you can also use a sprinkler to melt the frost with warmer water. To restore your law’s colour you can also look at using some natural pigment products such as Colour Guard. These products are sprayed onto the lawn and are absorbed into the leaf of the grass, meaning they won’t run or stain.
Be Careful Around Snow
If you live in the alpine territory you should be well versed with the onset of snowy conditions. They come around every year and you have to do your best to brace for the impact it entails.
When snow does build up on your lawn, you should consider using a snowblower to clear it as opposed to shovelling it away. With shovelling, you run the risk of causing further damage to your lawn which is already under stress.
It’s also common practice to apply de-icing salt products on driveways to prevent the forming of frost and ice. However make sure any salt product that is applied is done so sparingly, as if any salt gets on your grass, it can leach into it, impeding nutrient uptake and creating bare spots.
If you have to treat areas that are near the edges of your lawn, you can also consider using de-icing products that are made with sodium chloride alternatives, such as calcium chloride.
Looking after your lawn is often the largest part of your garden landscaping needs. From seeding and moving, and the vital lawn maintenance in between, a lot of work is required to ensure your lawn remains healthy.
Just because your lawn becomes dormant and grows less in winter, it doesn’t mean your maintenance work is no longer required. If you put in some effort during the cooler climate, you can make your lawn look vibrant and healthy come spring.
Right from the start, before your grass grows dormant and to avoid compaction, you can aerate your lawn, and apply a slow-releasing fertiliser to make sure your lawn has the nutrients it needs during the colder climate. If you start seeing the signs of weeds, you can remove them by hand and apply a compatible herbicide, or if you want to pre-empt any outbreaks you can use a pre-emergent herbicide.
From a maintenance perspective only water your lawn when it needs it, generally in the morning. When it comes to mowing, mow your lawn once every three to four weeks and use a higher cut to encourage growth and minimise the chances of causing damage.
If you live in an area that’s prevalent with frost, you can give your lawn a deep watering the night before an expected frost, and if frost does develop make sure you avoid walking on it to limit any further damage. Also, remember if you apply any de-icing products to your driveway, do so sparingly, and consider using products that are made with sodium chloride alternatives, such as calcium chloride.
We hope this blog will come in handy as you’re looking after your lawn in winter. Should you require any further advice on all matters lawn related, look no further than us here at Hi Quality Turf. We have our very own turf farm and can provide expert advice to help make sure your turf stays healthy and looking great all year round.
For any of your Lawn maintenance needs, why not contact us today?