The cold temperature of winter should not be a reason to have a break in taking care of your lawn. Although you will not put as much attention to it as you do in the other seasons, you can still carry out helpful tasks to keep your landscape vibrant and healthy come springtime.

Check out these winter lawn care tips to keep your landscapes in good shape once the spring rolls around again.

Winter Lawn Maintenance Tips

1. Schedule an Early Winter Cleaning Service

The fall season might have left piles of leaves in your lawn which when wet, are potential breeding areas of disease-causing microorganisms. Be sure to schedule a complete cleaning service in the early winter days to remove these leaves and save your lawn from suffocation. You may also try a heavy duty tarp to move leaves, weeds, and even brush.

2. Start with Proper Mowing

If you notice that the grass has grown too long, don’t let the winter start without mowing it. Doing so will provide proper air circulation around the plants which is crucial to prevent the growth of snow molds. Mowing, however, is a tricky task. Many lawn-owners are not aware of how mowing is properly performed. For instance, you should slowly trim the grass short not cut it all at once. Make sure to keep the grass short so that small animals won’t find shelter in it.

3. Limit Foot Traffic

Walking on the lawn can be really inviting especially when the grasses are short and brown. Even though grasses are known for its resiliency, extensive foot traffic can still pose great damage to its parts. Furthermore, the cold temperature of winter will slow down its recovery. To keep your lawn in good shape, don’t use it as a parking lot for vehicles and cut the urge to walk across the yard.

4. Snow Removal

An excessive amount of snowfall can damage your yard and the plants that grow in it. However, you can do simple activities like brushing the snow gently to reduce the burden on your lawn. Don’t try to break the ice that covers the trees and shrubs for you might just end up hurting the plants. Even if the temperature remains the same, these ice formations will soon reach their melting point so it would be better just to leave them alone.

5. Keep Lawn Mowers Well-Maintained

A lawn mower plays a crucial role in keeping your lawns in good shape. After using it to prepare your yard for the winter, it’s just right to give it its fair share of maintenance and care. You can start by completely draining the gas tank to prevent the tool from wearing out quickly. Be sure to perform the basic maintenance tasks such as changing the oil, sharpening the blades, complete cleaning, and many more. If you are going to perform a DIY mower repair, be sure to unplug the spark plug before you start for safety purposes.

6. Winterize the Hand Tools

Don’t forget to clean the garden hand tools such as the shovel, garden hoses, and trowels. Sometimes, pieces of rocks and soils are still stocked in the components after a long garden duty. Use a brush to remove the soil and wash the tools before keeping them. Also, spreading motor oils on the surfaces of the tools will prevent them from rusting while wiping some linseed oil on wooden equipment will prevent them from drying out in the long cold months.

7. Cut Plants

The winter brings about other jobs for early winter that you should never forget. One of these is the cutting of perennial plants. If there are some that have become dormant already, cut the brown tops. If they are still green, however, you can just wait for a while until they become brown or yellow. Energy is still being sent to the roots from the top. With this, based on the snow cover in your area, you may still need to wait until spring for you to perform this task.

Take care of your landscape the best way possible. Pay attention to these tips and rest assured during these long winter months knowing that your lawn is well-equipped and in good shape until springtime arrives.

Megan Jones is a writer and a camping lover who works with Grizzly Tarps. Having huge experience in travelling and exploring nature, Megan has gained some valuable knowledge, which she is now actively promoting.