Ever notice how some yards emerge from winter looking better than others? Some are green and lush with healthy-looking trees and shrubs. And others right nearby are lackluster and seem to be struggling to rebound. They all experience the same weather and climate, so what’s the difference? Chances are it’s the care they get – or don’t get – over the winter.
3 Basics of Winter Lawn Care
Even though winter is a so-called dormant period for lawns and ornamental trees and shrubs, they still need three basic types of care – nurturing, protection, and prevention – to stay healthy and look their best come spring.
Nurturing Roots and Soil: Above ground, not much seems to be happening, but underground there’s still a lot going on. For example, the root systems of grass and ornamentals continue to grow, and they need balanced nutrients to do it.
An organic fertilizer formulated for winter feeding promotes healthy roots and soil, while supporting the plant-friendly microbes and insects that live in the soil and that grass and ornamentals depend on.
Protection from Pests and Weather: Atlanta area winters are not harsh enough to kill off many harmful insects that overwinter in ornamental trees and shrubs. The best way to combat them is to treat ornamentals with dormant oil. A couple of applications in the winter smothers the insects and their eggs so that there’s no destructive infestation in the spring.
Mild as our winters may be, it can take only a few freak cold snaps to shock ornamental trees and shrubs. (Rapid temperature swings don’t give plants time to acclimate to the changing conditions.) Applying a 3-inch layer of mulch around trees and shrubs helps keep the soil temperature stable and has the added benefits of retaining soil moisture and suppressing weeds. Plus, it looks nice too.
Preventing Lawn Damage and Weeds: Have a forgotten pile of leaves or other debris on the lawn? Anything that sits in one spot for too long can damage grass by depriving it of air and sunlight. It also traps in excessive moisture, which can lead to fungal disease. So it’s best to keep the lawn clear and move items like outdoor furniture around to different spots occasionally to prevent smothering your lawn.
If your lawn’s prone to crabgrass or other grassy weeds in the spring, winter is an ideal time to treat. A synthetic pre-emergent weed control prevents seeds from fully developing over winter so the weeds won’t emerge in the spring.
While synthetic weed killers are useful in getting weedy lawns under control, the ultimate weed preventative is a thick, healthy lawn that crowds out weeds naturally. And that’s the approach we take at Simply Organic Turf Care.
Our organic lawn care focuses on building healthy, fertile soil with treatments designed specifically for the metro Atlanta region. The natural ingredients we use enrich the soil so that lawns and landscapes from Alpharetta to Marietta can rebound from winter beautifully and thrive all spring and summer long.