HOW TO WINTERIZE YOUR LAWN

A healthy lawn needs care and attention all year long. Winterizing your lawn is especially important for its ability to thrive the following year. This is particularly true in areas where snow is likely to cover the grass for long periods. Many people assume that lawns die during the winter months; actually, they are just "napping" through the cold. If your lawn isn't thriving to begin with, winterizing is that much more important for its health.

Be careful not too winterize your lawn too early. Doing this can rob the lawn of its ability to collect and digest the last of the nutrients available before the ground freezes.

1) Rake up leaves, grass clippings or other debris from the lawn. This allows sunlight and nutrients into the soil throughout the winter months. Raking will also result in better aeration, resulting in greener grass when spring arrives. Raking also keeps diseases and molds at bay.

2) Place weed control on your lawn. By doing this, weeds won't return in spring. Weeds don't go dormant during the winter, so this step is essential for keeping weeds in check throughout the year.

3) Lay down Agromin's PowerMix Top Dressing For Lawns or compost specifically formulated for winterizing. This will help the lawn hold onto nutrients throughout the winter months and "wake up" when the weather gets warmer.

4) Check your lawn's pH levels before winterizing your lawn. You can buy pH level testing kits at most garden centers. In the summer months, nutrients shift, thus affecting the pH levels. Monitoring levels can tell you if you need to re-balance with different fertilizers. Adjusting pH levels before winter will give the lawn time to absorb the fertilizer into the soil -- better preparing it for re-growth in the springtime.