Turf Maintenance Tips for Winter
Cold weather causes your lawn turf to go dormant. Any turf, including resilient varieties such as Sir Walter, has a tendency to change colour as temperature drops. Proper care and maintenance are needed to keep your lawn healthy over the winter months.
The best time to start your winter lawn maintenance is during the autumn. Starting early helps keep your turf healthy and prevents weeds and bare patches on your lawn.
Now, pull up your garden gloves and let’s start preparing your lawn ready for the chilly months!
- Mow your lawn at the recommended height
Long grass is at risk of freezing and thawing, but mowing too low will weaken the grass. To keep your turf healthy and weed-free, the ideal mowing height is 50-60mm.
How frequently you mow your lawn depends on the turf’s growth rate. Since turf grows slower in the colder months, the need for mowing is much less frequent.
- Know when to fertilise
Fertilise your lawn in the early autumn. This helps strengthen their roots and prepares them to survive frost. Using winter fertiliser is best as it helps turf acquire the essential nutrients to stay healthy throughout the winter.
- Aerate right
Aerating soil helps oxygen and water better reach the roots, so the turf can have more breathing space. Using a garden fork, make small holes in the lawn surface to allow water and nutrients to enter the turf roots. After aerating, it’s important to continue tending your turf with proper fertilising, mowing and watering.
- Dethatch at the right time
Dethatching—removing dead grass from your lawn—can damage turf if done incorrectly. Dethatching is best done in the early autumn, giving the lawn time to regrow during the winter.
To ensure that your Sir Walter Buffalo lawn is thatch-free, rake your lawn after mowing to prevent dead grass from building up.
- Allow more sunlight to your lawn
Lawn grass such as Sir Walter Buffalo turf performs well in shady areas. However, frost can increase their vulnerability to shade. Pruning trees and removing any debris will allow more sunlight to your lawn.
For help in choosing the right turf for your property, call J&B Buffalo Turf Supplies on 1800 668 786.
