Easy Ways To Maintain Your Lawn This Winter Home Garden by Emma Metson - November 8, 2017November 8, 2017 Easy Ways To Maintain Your Lawn This Winter Winter is the perfect time to take that much-awaited break from lawn maintenance, or so most people think. After all, there’s probably only a few who would be thinking about their lawns during the colder months. Do you want to be thinking about working out in the garden when it’s bitter and frosty outside? It’s true that lawn maintenance during winter is not as tedious compared to summer. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you can just abandon your lawn. Luckily winter maintenance only involves a few steps so you can still spend more time wrapped up indoors with your loved ones. Ensuring that your lawn is taken care of during this dormant season is essential to make it look lush again come spring. If done right, you’ll also help yourself avoid more work than necessary next season. Here are some tips to help you maintain your lawn during winter. Most of these can be done in late autumn or early winter. Consider artificial grass Some people will find the tips here to be too labour-intensive no matter how minimal effort is required of them. Let’s all admit it; if we’re given the choice between staying warm inside and looking after the lawn, we’ll probably choose the former! If you’re one of the many who wants to have that ‘perfect lawn’ without having to exert any effort, artificial grass may just be what you’re looking for. Artificial grass can do the same things a natural grass can, only better. Originally, it was intended to enhance sports performances in stadiums. As the technology evolved, artificial grass has also found its way into our gardens. Here’s why artificial grass is better than natural grass. Once installed, artificial grass only requires minimal maintenance every so often. It can withstands all weather and seasons, giving you the perfect lawn all year round. Reduced risk of injury as it’s made to provide better traction even when wet. Artificial grass doesn’t get muddy, so less dirt will find its way into your home. If artificial grass isn’t for you, there are still easy ways that you can care for your lawn in the colder months. Give your lawn a breather Your lawn needs a breath of fresh air as much as you do. Aeration is the process of perforating the soil with small holes. This allows air, water, and nutrients to penetrate down to the grass roots better. This allows the roots to grow deeper into the soil, producing a lively and healthier lawn. Compacted soils prevent proper circulation of air and other nutrients that the grass needs. At the same time, excess lawn thatch and other organic debris can also starve roots. Aeration is done to relieve the compactness of the soil on your lawn. Apparently, not every lawn needs to undergo this process. It also doesn’t mean that you need to aerate the whole area in case you have a big lawn. The following conditions will tell you if your lawn needs aerating. Your lawn was established by sod, and soil layering exists It was part of a newly constructed home It gets abused as a playground or racetrack If your lawn dries out quickly and has a spongy feel to it. A spiking machine works well in aerating your lawn, but if you don’t have one of those you can instead use your garden fork. Just be careful not to make the holes any deeper than 6 inches. Keep off the grass During this season, the growth of grass slows down significantly, to the point that it almost stops. Give your lawn a break and stay off of it as much as possible. No matter how resilient grass is, recovery will be very difficult if it gets damaged during its dormant season. This means it can take until spring to recover, which you don’t want to happen. Preventing foot traffic on the grass saves not only your lawn but the people stepping on it as well. Grass becomes slippery when wet or covered with snow, so the risk of getting injured is high. Besides, your lawn won’t look great when the grass starts growing back, and there are ‘dead spots’ here and there. Ice and snow should be cleared from your sidewalks so no one will be forced to walk across your garden. Using the lawn as a parking space, even for the smallest vehicle is not advisable either as doing so can kill the grass underneath the tires. Get the mower serviced Since your mower will not be seeing a lot of action this winter, it’s the perfect time to get it serviced. Like any other machine, a lawn mower needs to be maintained too. Servicing a lawn mower will extend its life significantly, on top of improving ease of use and reliability. Over time, a lawn mower will go through normal wear and tear, and improper maintenance can shorten its lifespan. The following procedures are usually done whenever a mower is being serviced: Oil change Air filter is changed Old spark plug is replaced Grease and oil points are lubricated A new mower blade might be installed The ones mentioned above are the most basic procedures in servicing a mower. You can hire a professional, or do it yourself if you wish, just be sure to always consult your manual first. The other lawn mower services are a bit complicated, so it’s best to seek professional help. Clean up your lawn Your lawn doesn’t need much work during winter. Most of these maintenance tips are meant to prepare your garden for the spring. However, don’t forget to clean up your lawn regularly. Use a light rake or brush to get rid of leaves and debris, and pick up toys or anything else that’s not supposed to be there. These things can smother the grass and create disease conditions. To make it worse, these conditions can invite insects and other pests. The milder days of the season should be spent trimming the edge of the lawn, along pathways and borders. If mowing needs to be done, only do so if the weather and ground conditions are favourable. In short Winter lawn maintenance doesn’t involve much hard work, all you need to do is pluck up the courage to spend a little time outside when it’s not so warm. Now that you’re armed with these tips, you can ensure that your lawn stays healthy throughout the winter months. Come the spring, it will be ready to spring back to life and you’ll be rewarded with a lush green lawn. Author Bio Emma is a part-time property developer who loves sharing how others can make their homes amazing both inside and out on her blog Fixtures and Flowers. You can chat to Emma on Twitter.