PPDL Picture of the Week
November 30, 2015
Winter Lawn Care Tips
John Orick, Purdue Master Gardener State Coordinator, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Winter in Indiana means it is time to prepare
your lawn and lawn equipment for the next season. Here are some basic tips for
caring for your lawn and equipment during this winter season:
·
Avoid walking on turf areas before the frost has
melted. Cool-season turfgrass species
are able to endure our frosty mornings in Indiana as long as there is no foot or
vehicle traffic on frosted turf. The turf leaves become blackened and soon
brown after foot or vehicle traffic on turf before the frost has melted. This
damage is due to ice crystals rupturing plant cell walls. Turf that is damaged
by frost can recover in several weeks early in the fall but it may take longer
when the damage occurs later in the growing season.
·
Avoid fertilizer and broadleaf herbicide
applications once the turf is dormant.
Once the turfgrass plants have entered winter dormancy (or when the soil is
frozen), the plants are not able to utilize nutrients from fertilizer
applications for plant growth processes. Likewise, the process of translocation
in weed plants slows to the point of rendering broadleaf herbicide applications
to not be effective. Apply broadleaf herbicides when the air temperature is
between 50 and 85 degrees F.
·
Remove excessive leaf debris from turf areas. Excessive leaf debris left on the lawn during
winter can block the utilization of light and the exchange of gases during the
winter months. Removing leaf debris by mulching, raking, or some other method
will prevent turf loss.
·
Prepare your mower for spring. The winter season is a great time to prepare
your mower and other equipment for the next growing season. Run your lawn equipment
out of fuel, change the oil, and have mower blades sharpened this winter. These
preparations will help you avoid the spring rush at the mower repair shops! Mowing
turf with sharp blades is healthier for the turf plants and more aesthetically
pleasing.
Related Articles and
Publications:
Fertilizing
Established Cool-Season Lawns: Maximizing Turf Health with Environmentally
Responsible Programs (AY-22-W) https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/AY/AY-22-W.pdf
Control
of Broadleaf Weeds In Home Lawns (AY-9-W) https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/AY/AY-9-W.pdf
Mowing,
Dethatching, Aerifying, and Rolling Turf (AY-8-W). https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ay/ay-8-w.pdf