Lawn care might not be the top thing on your mind, but there are still a few things you should think about when it comes to your turf during winter.
Lawn Care Tasks for Winter
While warm weather lawns are currently dormant, it’s a good time to assess any damage that may have taken place last summer. Damage may present as patches of dead grass, uneven color, thinning of the lawn, and increased weed growth.
Since January is the beginning of pruning season, it is also a good time to assess whether shade trees have become overgrown and are casting too much shade on your lawns. Lawns that aren’t receiving enough sunlight tend to grow thin and sparse. If you don’t want to trim trees, you may consider replacing areas of turf underneath them with more shade tolerant groundcovers.
If leaves are still falling onto turf, keep them raked so lawns can capture sunlight and continue to make carbohydrates. Store collected leaves for future compost use, or use as mulch to help protect the roots of garden bed plants during cold temperatures.
Although you won’t need to be doing any lawn mowing the next couple of months, it is a good time to assess your lawn mower and get blades sharpened so they’ll be ready when mowing season resumes. Dull blades cut ragged blades of grass and that leads to easy access for insect issues and disease. Do this now so you don’t have to give it a second thought in spring. Check out our drop boxes for Hello Sharpness at both of our locations for premium sharpening services.
If you’ve been thinking your lawn could use some aerating and topdressing, mid January to mid February is the time to do it. Rent a core aerator that actually pulls out plugs so that the top dressing of compost can get down into the lower layers of soil and start working to improve the quality and condition of your turf.
Tackle these tasks, because once February rolls around, lawn care maintenance picks up. Print our handy Yearly Lawn Care/Maintenance Chart so you’ll always know how to keep your lawn looking great.
Hope this helps!
~The Happy Gardener, Lisa Mulroy
My Bermuda lawn, which is fenced in, was attacked by some very aggressive armadillos. The result looks like a hog attack.
What is your advice on repairing the damage and your prognosis for the spring growing season?
Reseeding the damaged areas might be warranted, followed by resuming a spring fertilization program. But you might need to look at treating for grubs in late spring, as that might be the reason your lawn was attacked by armadillos. They root around and dig up these delectable creatures.
When is the best time to add top soil to your lawn? What type of dirt is best besides compost since compost is costly?
If you live in San Antonio, mid January to mid February are prime time for adding top soil. Consider aerating your lawn before applying, if you haven’t done so recently, for best results. Perhaps you might find a bulk compost company that might cut down on the price? Soil conditioner can also be beneficial.