Lawn Care Tasks That Should Be Done In Winter

There are some lawn care tasks that can be done year round. In the south where the winter weather is not as cold or wet as the north, there are some jobs that are probably best done in winter.  During the winter months, grass generally goes to sleep. Some gardeners oversow with a winter grass such as rye, but that too tends to grow a little more slowly.

With the temperatures much cooler, you can get out and do many of the reshaping jobs that you may have put off last summer. If you have paving stones you want removed, an old concrete path removed, or perhaps a new one created, winter can be the best time to complete these tasks.  Reshaping a lawn can easily be done over the winter months with little effect on the dormant lawn.

Digging in and around your lawn will of course disturb it to some extent. If you have lifted sods of turf, be sure to return them and to press them back into place firmly. If you have created empty patches in your lawn, such as the removal of a central garden bed, or the lifting of paths or paving stones, then you will need to work on these patches to turn them into a lawn. If you have lifted paving stones or concrete, then let the patch breathe for a week or two before going to work on them.

After letting the sun and air (and perhaps rain) work on those bare patches, prepare the soil using a seeding tool. Sow your summer lawn seed quite liberally over the area and give it a light watering. The seed won’t germinate until early spring, but it will lay there dormant waiting for those first warm days. If you want some winter color, then blend some winter rye – it’s late in the season, but it may still germinate and provide some color. Do these jobs in winter before it becomes too hot.