How To Love Your Lawn – Even In Winter!

As winter draws in and our thoughts turn to Christmas shopping, parties and that all-important turkey, it can be easy to forget about your lawn. Winter is a time associated with curling up in front of a warm fire, and not a time when you want to get out and about in the garden. 
But, although your lawn requires less maintenance over the winter season, there are still a few key things which you can do to improve your lawn’s health, and make it easier to pick back up again when spring time comes around. The experts from AMF Services show you how…

Mowing and Debris
Over the colder months, you should find that your grass grows at drastically reduced speed, so you won’t need to mow it nearly as much as in the summer months. However, you should still keep an eye on it a give it a little cut every now and then. Allowing it to grow overly long can mean that it is more vulnerable to disease, through rapid freezing and thawing. Try to mow it every once in a while when you get a nice, dry day but avoid doing it when it is already frozen as this can damage the grass.

Aeration
Aerating your lawn over winter helps improve drainage and ventilation to the roots. It also reduces thatch build up and ensures that the lawn doesn’t become overly compact. Every now and then, use a small garden fork or spike to puncture small holes into the ground, allowing it to breath.

Water
You may think that there’s no need to keep your hose pipe out over winter, but the grass will always require water in order to stimulate growth. If you’re experiencing periods of heavy rain, you don’t need to worry about this, but as it grows colder you may find that the temperatures are too low for rainfall, in which case some fresh water may do it some good.

Weeding
Many people often fall into the trap of believing that they don’t need to do weeding over the winter months, but end up finding that the weeds have spread like wildfire by the time spring comes around. If left for a prolonged period, weeds can soon spread and even get into your lawn. If you get treated to a milder day, try to get out into the garden and dig up those weeds!

Feed
Applying fertiliser to your lawn in winter is not recommended, but you can try other forms of feed. We’d recommend soluble iron; it helps to strengthen the grass and improve its resistance to disease, and it will ensure that it turns a lovely, fresh green shade much quicker in spring.

Moss Control
Moss can really tarnish the look of your lawn and, unfortunately, it thrives during the cooler months. It grows more quickly when it is out of direct sunlight, and when the ground is damp for long periods of time. Try to combat it by applying a moss control treatment at the beginning of winter, which should halt any moss you have from growing any further.

This guest post was written by green fingered blogger Emma Williams on behalf of AMF Services, leading suppliers of lawnmower parts, servicing and repairs.