​Winter is right around the corner. With winter comes frost and snow, and that frost and snow can cover your lawn. The cold weather, and its affects can damage your lawn. The good news is that you can fix your lawns problems when it becomes warmer.

​Problems that can occur include diseases, mold, and barren areas. The diseases, that are caused by fungus,  will discolor your lawn and possibly even kill some of your grass. If fungus gets really bad, then it might even eliminate the possibility of plant recovery until you fix it. 

​If you have a day of heavy snow before the landscape freezes, then it could give your landscape the possibility of mold. Mold can cause your yard to develop dead patches of grass, discolor, and leave a matted coat. The color of the matted coat can appear to be white or pink. Another problem that can arise is barren areas. Barren areas usually occur because of damage from snow, frost, cold weather, or damage from snow removal. 

However, there are several ways that you can help your lawn.  You can mow low before the snow, use proper monthly maintenance, and avoid heavy lawn traffic through the year. When ice melts, it can damage your lawn; so it may be a good idea to fertilize before a freeze.
It is important to know that some of these preventions are better to do at certain times. For instance, if you fertilize early In the spring then your landscape may not take the nutrients as well as it should. If you fertilize too early, you may be helping possible winter weeds grow by encouraging shoot growth rather than root growth. 

Additionally, making sure that your soil is not receiving a lot of foot or equipment traffic is important. Whenever a lot of pressure is placed on the lawn, making it compact, the weight can damage and kill the grass. Things that can causing your landscape to be compact is excessive snow, excessive leaves, and foot traffic. 

​Winter is a beautiful season, but it may not be so beautiful for your lawn. In the winter, if it is too cold it is easy for your landscape to become damaged. Because of that it makes fall an important time to prepare your yard for the upcoming season. 

​When cutting your lawn to prepare for the winter season cut it to about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in height.  If your grass is 3 inches or taller then you should cut it down slowly over time. If you cut too much at once then it could stress the grass blades.

Aeration is another thing you can do to help your lawn. You can do this by using a core aerator, manual aerator, and you can even use an aerator attachment for a lawnmower. You should aerate at least four weeks before winter. Also a wonderful time to fertilize your landscape is right after you aerate.

Fertilizing is also important when prepping for the colder months. Keep in mind that the best time to do this is before the grass starts to change color. Fertilizer gives the grass more sustenance which makes it easier for it to survive in the winter, and bounce back in the spring.

Fall is also a good time to overseed your lawn. You should overseed your lawn several weeks ahead of the winter. It will make your lawn more full when spring comes back around. 
​
Raking the leaves in your yard will help the grass stay healthy. When leaves pile up they put pressure on the grass below them. That pressure can damage grass blades. The grass also receives less sun when it is covered by leaves. Additionally, be careful of raking your landscape when it is wet. Raking the yard when it is wet will sometimes cause grass to be uprooted. 

Taking the time to prepare your lawn will help it survive the winter, return in the spring, and help it stay as healthy as possible.