Just like for us, winter can feel a bit bleak for your grass. There are low levels of sunlight, soil will be wet and cold, and there’s always the possibility of snow and frost freezing things over entirely. These conditions provide the perfect opportunity for moss to flourish, diseases to take hold and parts of your lawn to die off through lack of nourishment. Over-usage of a frosty or muddy lawn can damage the grass and leave bare patches. Let’s run through the winter lawn care basics to prevent any of these winter drawbacks happening to your lawn.
Mowing my lawn in Winter
- If your grass is still growing then you can keep mowing it. You’ll know when to stop mowing when the grass blades stop growing.
- Raise your mowing cutting height for winter by around 5mm if you do decide to mow, although this is only really necessary if temperatures have stayed unusually high and the grass has continued to grow.
- You will want to avoid mowing when the grass is wet as this can compact the soil.
- Remove clippings, blocking sunlight to the grass roots will lead to lawn diseases.
Fertilising my lawn in Winter
It is important to use regular lawn feeds to keep your grass topped up with the right nutrients, but did you know your lawn requires different levels of potassium, nitrogen and phosphorous in different seasons. One of the best ways to prepare your lawn for winter, is using an Autumn feed before the temperatures drop as it will encourage grass root growth to strengthen the lawn. You should also use a Winter feed to continue these benefits and help your lawn to fight of winter lawn diseases.
Lawn disease prevention in Winter
Preventing lawn diseases is a key element of winter lawn care, but how can you help support your lawn to ward off disease?
- Scarify your lawn in Autumn
- Aerate the soil in Autumn
- Use the correct fertiliser
- Remove leaves from the lawn
- Brush of any dew in the morning to help prevent ‘snow-mould’
And one of the key ingredients, Iron Sulphate. Applying Iron Sulphate is great to green up your grass in the winter months, without causing it to continue growing. Iron Sulphate also helps your lawn with cold tolerance and frost resistance which can be extremely damaging for your lawn. More applications into the spring months can also provide prevention for pests and weeds. Did you know that is the reason we include Iron Sulphate in our Winter Pack.
Which professional quality winter lawn care products should I use?
To make this as easy as possible, even for a total lawn care novice, we have created four unique seasonal maintenance packs for Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. You can buy these as standalone packs, or subscribe to our annual subscription service for 15% off. More info on this can be found here: Seasonal Pack Subscription - The Lawn Pack.
Our Winter Pack is designed to give your grass everything it needs over this tricky season, providing protection for 12+ weeks. Above the ground, it will harden the turn to provide resistance to disease, and below the ground it’ll promote development of healthy root networks which make your grass healthier, denser and more resilient.
What’s in the pack and when can I apply it?
As our Winter Pack needs to be applied in two separate applications, in each pack you’ll find the following:
- 2x Winter Protection Fertiliser: Professional, granular fertiliser which encourages root development and promotes plant strength for increased disease resistance during the colder months. One application will develop a lovely deep green colour. NPK ratio: 6-5-10
- 2x Deeper Green Iron Sulphate: This double Bose of iron sulphate will give an instant boost to the the colour of your lawn, as well as hardening turf and assisting with disease resistance
- Biostimulant Booster: An organic biostimulant that will significantly increase root network mass, improve soil microbiology and nutrient absorption. You’ll also see a good increase in grass blade density from this product
You can apply this pack any time from September-March, leaving at least 6 weeks between the two applications.
How do I apply it?
Whether you’ve used The Lawn Pack before or not, you’ll find application of this pack a breeze:
Step 1: Winter Protection Fertiliser
- Ideally using a spreader, spread 30g per SQM of Winter Protection Fertiliser. Check the label on the packet to see the application amounts for your lawn size, and try not to exceed this
- You can spread it by hand, but be sure to get an even coverage or you might see some uneven growth
- Walk in uniform lines up and down your lawn to make sure you spread evenly. Adding some side to side passes will help even further
- Seal the bag well and store in a cool, dry place away from children and pets until you’re ready for the second application 6 weeks later
Step 2: Biostimulant Booster
- Dilute the biostimulant in water according to the recommended ratios for your lawn size stated on the label. Mix well in your chosen container
- Using either a watering can with a fine rose head or a pump/pressure spray, apply 4-5ml per SQM
- If you’d like to speed up the application process, you can mix the Deeper Green Iron Sulphate with the Biostimulant Booster before applying, ensuring to use the appropriate dilution rates on for the iron sulphate. You can find these on the label.
Step 3: Deeper Green Iron Sulphate
- The dosage of iron sulphate required will depend on the current condition of your lawn, specifically if moss is present or not:
- If your lawn does have moss: 5g per SQM
- If your lawn does have moss: 2.5g per SQM
- Apply to the whole lawn, again using either a watering can with a rose head or a pump/pressure spray. Please note: each application method has a different dilution rate and more info on this can be found here: Iron Sulphate Guide: The Lawn Pack
- Reseal and store in a cool, dry place away from children and pets until you’re ready for the second application 6 weeks later
- Any moss will turn black 7-14 days after application and you can rake this out
Ensure the lawn isn’t used by people or pets for 24 hours post-application to allow the iron sulphate to be absorbed. It will also stain hard surfaces, so please make sure to avoid patios and fences etc.
Top do’s and don’t for saving your lawn this Winter.
Along with using the Winter Protection Pack, there are a couple of general dos and don’ts for winter lawn care.
DO:
- Raise the cutting height by around 5mm if you do decide to mow, although this is only really necessary if temperatures have stayed unusually high and the grass has continued to grow
- Remove any fallen leaves or other debris that may be remaining from autumn. Too much debris will block out light and smother the grass, starving it of moisture
DON’T:
- Cut too short! This is so important as shorter grass is more vulnerable, and your grass needs to be as protected as possible during this time of year. If it’s stopped growing, then don’t mow at all.
- Allow lots of foot traffic on frosty or muddy grass
- Ignore signs of disease in your lawn - notably fusarium or ‘Snow Mould’, which generally appears September-March. For more info on this disease and how to manage it, check out this info page from the RHS: Fusarium Patch and Snow Mould - RHS
Remember, the ultimate goal for your winter lawn care is to keep your grass as healthy as possible and prepare it to burst into life when it when the warmer weather hits - treat the grass with care and don’t expect miracles from it! If you need any further guidance or have any specific questions on how to look after your lawn over winter, our team are always on hand to help via email, Facebook and Instagram.