How to put your lawn away for the winter

LATE AUTUMN LAWN ADVICE

Autumn is now in full flow, with those beautiful red and gold leaves being blown from the trees on to our lawns. It’s time to think about putting the lawn to bed for the winter, and here are Lawntech’s top tips to help you on your way…

RAKE UP FALLEN LEAVES FROM THE LAWN

We suggest you rake up any fallen leaves from your lawn at least twice per week at this time, as it is one of the kindest things you can do to maintain its health as it heads into dormancy for the winter. Fallen leaves will prevent light from getting to the grass and damage your lawn in no time at all. Apart from the damage caused by this lack of light, decomposing leaves can attract a multitude of diseases, fungi and unwanted animal activity.

MAKE THE LAST CUT OF THE YEAR

It’s time to make the final cut of the year – or is it?

At Lawntech, our motto has always been “If it’s growing, keep on mowing” as it is important to avoid leaving the grass long over winter and risking its deterioration. There is no date set in stone for the last cut of the year, as it’s all dependant on the weather. Your grass will carry on growing right up until the temperature drops too far to sustain it.

As always, our rule of thumb is to ensure the mower’s blade is sharp and to cut off no more than one third of the grass’ length in a single cut. Taking off more than this will shoch the grass plant and leave it vulnerable to disease, which we certainly don’t want happening when leaving it for some months before the first cut of spring. It may be tempting to make this final cut of the year an extra short one, but we must avoid that temptation at all costs.

APPLY AN AUTUMN FEED

Now is the perfect time to apply an Autumn Fertiliser to your lawn

Between now and the end of December is the perfect time for Autumn Fertiliser application. As you may know, lawn care specialists like Lawntech use a range of fertilisers which are geared to specific seasons across the year. Our Autumn Fertiliser is especially formulated to contain a higher percentage of Potassium (K) in relation to its Nitrogen (N) content, as this mixture encourages root growth rather than that of the blades themselves. This helps the nourish the grass plants and strengthen them through the winter, while applying a fertiliser with a high volume of Nitrogen at this time of year is to be avoided as it causes the wrong type of growth at a time which then leaves the plants vulnerable to disease.

AUTUMN AND WINTER MOSS TREATMENTS

At Lawntech we advocate two Moss Control treatments per – Autumn and Winter

In line with our Annual Lawn Care Programme, we strongly advocate two applications of Moss Control treatment every year. This is because we have found it is the only way to satisfactorily control the moss. October to December is the optimum time for the first application, with a follow-up treatment between January and March. Do bear in mind that moss can only be controlled rather than irradicated. Liquid Iron is the basis of our Moss Control treatments, with added seaweed to help strengthen the grass plants so they are in the best possible shape through the winter and ready to go again in springtime.

AERATION

Autumn is also a great time to aerate your lawn

So long as ground conditions are neither frosty nor too wet, we can still aerate our lawns in the autumn. Doing so under those extreme conditions is risky at best, leaving the lawn open to all sorts of damage. Lawntech has a range of mechanical aerators available, to carry out this vital service on every size of lawn from the smallest to the largest. If you fancy doing the job yourself and have a smaller lawn, this can be achieved manually with a garden fork. On most lawns, however, Aeration is best carried out with a professional-grade machine using either hollow or solid tines to ensure adequate penetration of the ground. This ensures the reduction of soil compaction and allows the flow of water, oxygen and nutrients to the roots of the grass plants.

BOOK YOUR MOWER IN FOR A SERVICE

Servicing your lawn mower now will keep it n top shape over winter, and save you from the mad rush next spring!

Rather than stashing your mower away for the winter after that final cut, think about getting it booked in for a service. Doing it now will not only save it from the deterioration caused by storing it when wet and lagged with grass cuttings, it will also save you from the last-minute queues at the service centre next spring!

Part and parcel of every lawn mower service is to ensure that the blade is sharpened and balanced. Sharp blades are vital to the health of your lawn, as blunt blades rip the grass rather than cutting it and leave it susceptible to disease and damage. We advise wherever possible for our clients to keep a spare sharpened blade, ready to be switched over during the growing season.

We hope this article is helpful as you prepare your winter for winter. If you would like more advice please feel free to visit the Autumn Advice page in our online Lawn Care Guide: