A Guide to Winter Lawn Care in California
A Guide to Winter Lawn Care in California
For those of you living in California, you may be wondering what lawn care is appropriate over the cooler winter season. Here are some suggestions to ensure that your grass stays happy and healthy until spring rolls around again.
1. Keep Mowing Regularly
While you don’t need to do it as frequently, you still need to mow your lawn. Instead of doing it weekly, you can now get away with doing it between one to two times a month.
In order to keep your grass as healthy as possible, we recommend raising the blade on your mower a little higher than usual and avoiding the grass when it’s wet.
2. Build Up Your Soil
Winter is actually a great time to change the structure of your soil and improve on it.
Your soil should ideally be a loam, meaning that you can grow any type of grass without issue. However, other types of soil can be easily altered as well.
Make sure to test the pH of your soil. You can do this either by bringing a sample to your local cooperative extension or by buying your own home test kit. If the pH needs to be altered, you can do so by adding different ingredients, such as fertilizer or compost.
Some types of grass, specifically cool-season options, do very well when they’re fertilized in the winter.
3. Guard Against Winter Pests
It’s also very beneficial to make sure your lawn and landscaping are protected from potential winter pests.
If your lawn and soil are too wet, or the grass is cut too low, an infestation of pests is far more likely. It’s a good idea to apply an insecticide or take precautionary measures to avoid them altogether.
4. Aerate Your Grass
Lastly, you should make sure to aerate your grass. It is most important to do for clay soil, however, it’s vital no matter what type of soil you are using. Aerating the dirt is very important because it can get too compressed and make it impossible for tree and plant roots to breathe.
Winter is a perfect time to do this, as your soil won’t become overly dry.
Contact A Professional for Further Assistance
With these winter lawn care tips, you should have no problem keeping your grass thriving throughout the winter season.
If you would like additional assistance with your lawn over the next few months, consider contacting a local, professional landscaping company to assist you. For those of you in the San Francisco Bay Area, give Homescape Now a call for help today!
