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Category: Residential Lawn Services

Don't let winter frost ruin your green thumb. At Alternative Earthcare of Long Island, we will help you winterize your lawn to ensure a beautiful springtime landscape.

Frost vs. Your Green Thumb


While Long Island is yet to experience snow this winter, the cooler temperatures are headed this way, and with them will come damage to your gardens, lawns and landscaping. Some people may choose to let lawn maintenance take a hiatus in the colder months, but at Alternative Earthcare we believe that there are some definitive steps you can take to ensure that your yard will be green and vibrant when the weather warms, without the massive spring yard overhaul! In fact, the late fall and early winter are the ideal months to prepare your property for a healthy lawn.

One of the main culprits of winter lawn damage is frost. Frost appears on the ground and other surfaces when the temperatures drop, typically overnight. So how does frost effect your lawn? When your lawn acquires a frost layer, the moisture inside grass blades freezes and expands. This causes damage to the cell walls and could damage root growth in the springtime. Visible damage to your lawn can include discoloration of brown or yellow, and some hefty repair to bring it back to optimal health. Here are a few helpful hints to protect your lawn during the winter cold and drops in temperature…

Don’t Fight the Cold!

…the late fall & early winter are the ideal months to prepare your property for a healthy lawn…

 
Winterize Your Long Island Lawn

 
 

Winter Frost: Preparation & Prevention

1) Mowing

Cutting your lawn short for the winter is imperative. If you leave your lawn too long, it will lay over on itself when the snow falls. The pressure created will limit air circulation and can lead to matting and spring lawn diseases, like Snow Mold, which leaves large areas of lawn to die.

 

2) Fertilizing

Be sure to provide your lawn with plenty of nutrients; this will play a key role in keeping your lawn healthy throughout the year. Speak with someone on the Alternative Earthcare team about winterizing your lawn, and aiding in root health and growth to create a more sustainable lawn during cold months.

 

3) Clearing

Debris on your lawn, such as leaves, branches, toys and furniture, can smother your grass and turf, leaving your property vulnerable to diseases. The best option is to have a full landscaping cleanup prior to the first frost. When winter snow does arrive, avoid walking on your frozen lawn as much as possible; footprint shaped spots will appear in grass once the weather begins to warm.

 

4) Watering

Watering your lawn is important year-round, but especially important in the weeks before cold season begins. In fact, one of the easiest and most efficient ways to prevent frost damage is to water your lawn the night before. A thorough watering will allow moisture to evaporate slowly overnight. This creates warmth around the soil and grass blades overnight, and encourages it to radiate heat on a cold night. Plants and grass with a high moisture content are more resistant to freeze damage.

 
 

Sometimes severe damage can occur, but that damage doesn’t have to be lasting. If you already have a lawn that has been damaged by the frost, it can still be revived. Winter lawn care tips from the experienced professionals at Alternative Earthcare can help you to strategize a healthy landscape all year long. Adopting a good watering program, with the appropriate nutrients and a realistic time frame for repair will help to correct winter lawn damage; with a little work, your lawn will be green again!