After months of watering, mowing and fertilizing, you may be ready to take a break from lawn care for the winter. Before you swap out your lawn mower for a snow shovel, make sure you winterize your yard in fall so it gets off to a strong, lush start next spring.
Most turf planted in Colorado yards is a cool-season grass, meaning it grows best in spring and fall. Because of this, fertilizing is most effective in spring and fall. As part of your fall fertilization, seek a winterizing fertilizer. A good winterizing fertilizer will have less nitrogen and more potassium than an early-season blend.
Winterize Your Yard in Fall
Most homeowners know the importance of removing leaves from their turf to prevent against snow mold and brown spots, and open turf up to sunlight and moisture. Leave the blower in the garage, though, as a vigorous raking doesn’t just get leaves off your lawn, but helps remove any thatch – dead grass that settles at the base of your turf – that may serve as a barrier between your soil and moisture. Don’t get too zealous about thatch removal – some thatch is healthy, and helps protect your turf’s roots.
After you mow your lawn a final time, take the opportunity to overseed your lawn. Cool-season grasses benefit from overseeding as well. Simply purchase a seed blend and apply it using a fertilizer spreader. Follow-up with starter fertilizer to kickstart the new seed. After overseeding, keep your lawn moist with a fine mist several times a day. Colorado’s autumns tend to be dry, and, just like when you plant sod, you’ll need to provide extra moisture to overseeded lawns until they’re established.
After winterizing your lawn, it’s time to finally stow the lawn mower for the winter, and start looking forward to spring: Even in the coldest blizzard, you’ll know your turf is ready to return stronger than ever when you winterize your yard in fall.
