As the season turns to winter and chilly temperatures begin to sweep in across the UK, winter lawn care may be at the back of your mind as many homeowners will have already begun to pack away their gardens and lock up their tools in preparation for the colder, darker days ahead.
Though the weather isn’t as appealing and time outdoors will be spent much less, this doesn’t mean your lawn should suffer. There are still tasks that you can do to care for your lawn in preparation for springtime.
We’ve put together 5 top tips for winter lawn care that will set the stage for a vibrant and healthy lawn when spring arrives.
1. Don’t Leave the Leaves on Your Lawn
Keeping leaves off your lawn is at the top of our list for winter lawn care as it is essential for maintaining optimal growing conditions, preventing lawn disease, and ensuring your lawn remains green and healthy. Leaves create a barrier that hinders essential sunlight, water, and nutrients from reaching the grass plants. This inhibits healthy growth and can result in patches of dead or weakened turf. Raking or blowing any leaves and debris regularly will help your lawn this winter. With the leaves you have collected, you can compost some of them, sweep them under hedges for wildlife, or create leafmould, which makes a wonderful soil improver.
Regular leaf removal helps maintain a healthy and vibrant lawn by allowing sunlight and air to reach the grass.
We’ve compiled a list of recommended leaf blowers in 2023 to guide you:
2. Mowing Matters
If your lawn is growing, keep on mowing that’s our motto! While your lawn may not be growing as vigorously in winter, if the weather is mild as some winter months are in the UK, it will still require occasional mowing. Set your mower to a higher setting to leave the grass slightly longer. This helps to protect the roots from frost and provides a thicker layer of insulation. Mowing in winter will also help to keep debris off your lawn, helping your lawn to receive as much sunlight as possible. Be sure to mow on a dry afternoon once the frost has cleared.
Milder winters may mean your grass is still growing, so it’s important to keep mowing to maintain your lawn’s health.
3. Keep Off the Frost
Winter often brings with it a frosty start and as pretty as this can be, don’t be tempted to walk on a frosty lawn as this can be detrimental to your lawn’s health. When grass blades are frozen, they become brittle. Walking on a frost-covered lawn can cause the grass blades to break and lead to unsightly brown or damaged patches. Frost-damaged grass takes longer to recover once the temperatures rise. Walking on a frost-covered lawn can prolong the recovery process, leaving your lawn vulnerable to further damage and stress.
Frozen grass blades are more brittle and prone to damage so walking on a frosty lawn is not recommended.
In wetter conditions, it’s important not to walk on a waterlogged lawn as the lawn can become compacted and is likely to pull up the grass from the soil turning your lawn into mud.
4. Control Moss in Your Lawn
Moss succeeds in damp and shaded areas, so winter creates the perfect environment for moss to thrive. Given the right conditions, moss can then quickly takeover, outcompeting grass and suffocating your lawn from the essential nutrients it needs to flourish. This can lead to poor grass growth and make lawns more susceptible to disease.
At Lawntech, we provide a winter moss treatment as part of our annual lawn care programme to take control of moss and provide your lawn with the tonic it needs to become hardier and withstand the harsher winter conditions.
Winter often provides the perfect conditions for moss to thrive and can quickly take over a healthy lawn so it’s important to control moss in your lawn this season.
5. Welcome Winter Wildlife
The piles of leaves and debris you sweep from your lawn can make the perfect shelter for wildlife this winter. Hedgehogs may be on the hunt for a helping hand this winter so a messy pile of leaves and logs in a corner of your garden will provide a place of warmth. Food can be harder to find in winter, so remember to fill up any bird feeders you may have to help our feathered friends.
Providing a pile of swept leaves in your garden can offer a cozy spot for hedgehogs to rest during winter.
Winter can bring unique challenges to maintaining a healthy lawn in the UK, but by following these winter lawn care tips, you’ll ensure you have a resilient and thriving lawn come spring.
For more information about the treatments we offer during autumn and winter to maintain your lawn’s health, visit our dedicated treatment page. You can also get your instant, online quote using our handy measuring tools here. More seasonal advice can also be found on our dedicated Winter Lawn Care Advice page.
A lush green November lawn that’s prepped for winter with an autumn fertiliser and moss treatment carried out by Lawntech.
