Winter lawn prep
WINTER IS COMING:
Prep Your Lawn for the Cold Season
Maintaining a healthy, evenly covered and green lawn here in the Pacific Northwest can be tricky. Continue reading for a step by step guide to reseeding and preparing your lawn for winter including region specific tips for optimum success!
August
Plan for fall:
Locate patches to reseed, apply groundcover or sod lawn.
Purchase supplies, water and mow regularly
September
Early/Mid Month:
Fertilize when rain is in the forecast.
Late September:
Time to dethatch, aerate and rake bare spots to overseed, reseed, or sod.
October
Continue to thatch, aerate and rake bare spots to overseed, reseed, or sod.
Add one inch of compost over new seed/overseed.
Turn off irrigation.
Mow: if necessary
November
Late November:
Fertilize, mow only if forecast is not excessively wet or cold.
December
Continue to rake leaves and don’t mow.
Last chance to apply fertilizer.
Happy Holidays!
Start the Process in Late September with Dethatching
How to: Dethatch
Dethatching is removing that dead grass buildup from summer mowing. When grass cuttings are not removed or cut finely after mowing they will build up and create thatch. Thatch prevents roots to get much needed nutrients and is a breeding ground for pests and disease. If you lawn has ½ inch or more of thatch buildup, you may experience bare spots or yellowing of your lawn. We recommend using a dethatching rake for ½ inch or more of thatch, this rake finely chops thatch. However you can use a regular heavy duty rake and a yard waste bag as well.
This process exposes dirt, which is why you must wait until after the growing season has ended (otherwise the weeds will takeover!)
Helpful Tip: To prevent thatch you can use a lawnmower with a bag or rake up the cuttings after each mowing.
How to: Aerate
Over time the soil in your lawn gets packed down, which prevents air, water, and nutrients from reaching your grass. Poke holes to be 1” to 2” deep and 3” apart. You can purchase an aerator to make the job easier, like our Garden Claw Cultivator that works as an aerator and weeding tool. Aeration works best in moist soil that is not completely saturated; so wait for a span of dry days or until a nighttime light rain before you start. If you have not fertilized yet this is your queue!
Fertilizing your lawn after the hot season has ended is a great way to keep your grass GREEN well into next years’ spring. It also helps to keep your weeds down the following spring! Lack of fertilizer means less nutrients for your grass seeds making it harder for them to sprout into strong, healthy seedlings. For a great all-around fertilizer, we recommend milorganite.
How to: Fertilize
Using a mechanical spreader, spread your fertilizer (using the setting as listed on your bag) evenly one time. Do not go over fertilized areas a second time! If you have not already, now is the time to spread seeds.
How to: Reseed
Lawns wear out over time leaving bare patches that weeds will overtake. Buy quality grass seed rather than quantity. Whether you are reseeding your whole lawn or just overseeding patches we have the grass seeds for you! Like our Greenwood Hardware Lawn Mix 5lbs blend made for our store by the Seed Factory in Puyallup. We also carry Overseed Mix and other seed blends made for us by the Seed Factory NW. When you have chosen your desired seed, dethatched your existing lawn, fertilized and aerated your soil and your lawn is ready to be reseeded.
Mow your lawn short and pick up the cuttings. Then, similar to throwing chicken feed spread the seed evenly over bare areas. Remember to apply a thin even layer of seed rather than small piles of seed. If your lawn is medium to large consider picking up a spreader like our handheld spreader, or our ergonomic spreader. Using a rake, spread a thin ¼ inch layer of Cedar Grove compost over the seed and water twice daily. Avoid walking on the newly seeded areas as much as possible and mow regularly until the first frost, keeping your length longer than 2.5 inches.
Handy Tip: your soil’s pH levels should be a 7. If it is less than 7 ashes from a fireplace will increase the pH. Conversely sulfur or aluminium phosphate will lower pH levels that are higher than 7.
Last Step: Water Your Lawn
To maintain healthy growth, make sure your lawn gets watered two or three times a day either by sprinkler, hose, or the elements until your new grass is one to two inches tall. At that point start watering once a week, using sprinkler, hose, or the elements! Hold back from mowing your newly seeded areas until the seedlings have firmly rooted. Consider waiting up to a month after your new grass reaches one or two inches.