British winters can be quite harsh indeed. You want your turf to be in good shape come springtime, but what can you do? The cold months are relentless, but you don’t want to throw your hands up in the air and hang up the gardening tools. In fact, you might even want to keep the mower going.
Did you think you were going to get a break? In some ways, you will, but you do want to be sure that you protect your beautiful turf. Come springtime, you’re going to have a much easier time.
Do you really have to keep mowing? Yes, and you do so for multiple reasons. First, mowing continues to provide you lawn the opportunity to breath. It also prevents those pesky pests from setting up shop, even though you might think the winter weather already did that for you.
The winter season also provides the perfect opportunity to aerate your lawn. Now your soil gets a breath of fresh air, too. It is always a great idea to aerate your lawn annually. Doing so during the cold months penetrates the ground with the frost on your lawn, which prevents soil compaction.
When you’re not mowing or attending to another outdoor chore, it is best to also stay off the grass as much as possible. You don’t want to help the harsh winter wreak havoc on your beautiful lawn. Additionally, you’re going to want to clean up those leaves.
Leaves sitting on your turf aren’t going to do you any good. Start raking those leaves during the fall, and continue to do so during the winter months. Doing so further ensures that your lawn has a chance to breathe, and besides, it also makes your landscape look nice and tidy. The worst-case scenario with leaves is ignoring them for the entire winter period, allowing them to build up and become rather heavy on the turf. As soon as this happens, your turf will essentially suffocate, leaving you almost needing to start from scratch the following year.
People often wonder if they can continue to plant grass seed during the winter. While you can, it is actually best to do this during the fall season. Those winters can be harsh and make you want to take even more action. But just remember that you can get back to planting grass seed in a few short months come springtime.
British winters do not have to mean the demise of your beautiful lawn and landscape. There are important steps to take that will not only protect your lawn during the cold months but help it thrive even more when spring rolls around. Keep the mower and those gardening tools on standby. If you have a shaded garden you made need to buy shade tolerant turf, whilst a more open garden with lots of sunlight will be easily transformed with a general-purpose turf product.