The winters in Western New York (WNY) are characterized by heavy snow, freezing weather, and unreliable wind chills. Your lawn and shrubs may be subjected to frost and root rot due to a lack of proper preparation, and they may even perish until spring.

That is why winter lawn care must be a necessity not only to save your landscape but also to make sure that it is going to be healthy after the winter snow melts.

This guide from KD Nursery specifically focuses on tips on lawn care during the winter months that are approved by experts. Like the way to prepare your lawn and shrubs to resist the cold weather, the type of fertilizer to use, and the optimal practice of mulching to protect your garden during the cold winter conditions in WNY.

How Should I Start My Winter Lawn Care

Assess the Lawn: 

The very first step should be a thorough examination of your lawn. Timing plays a key part in winterizing a garden in Clarence. You can start this in late fall, or if you have time, try to start in mid-fall.

Prior to the snow and frost settling, find time to check on your lawn and shrubs. Check whether there is thinning grass, compacted soil, or pest destruction.

• Check grass health- Areas that appear dull or patchy should be aerated or fertilized.

• Check shrubs- Determine the presence of branches that were diseased or damaged by early frost. Early opiate them before they get away.

• Weed- Clean up fallen leaves, sticks, and weeds. A clean yard ensures that there is no growth of molds or presence of pests in the cold months.

Lawn care, winter preparation, and maintenance start with conducting an assessment on a regular basis.

Steps to Winterize a Garden in Clarence

1. Aerate the Soil for Better Oxygen Flow:

Wondering “how to prepare your lawn for the winter?” Aeration should be among the initial activities. It is particularly significant in such places as Clarence, NY, where heavy snow can squeeze the soil even further.

Compacted soil would suffocate roots and block the absorption of water. Prior to the initial freeze, aeration permits the infiltration of oxygen, nutrients, and moisture.  

Benefit of aeration,

• Prevents summer foot traffic compaction of the soil.

• Enhances drainage and uptake.

• Makes the ground grass strong in winter.

• Stronger root growth.

2. Fertilize Your Lawn Before the Ground Freezes:

When you are wondering what fertilizer to use for grass in winter, then you should use a slow-release nitrogen-high fertilizer suited to cold-season grasses.

What are the benefits we can get from fertilizing lawns before winter?

Late fall fertilizing (before the ground freezes) assists roots in acquiring nutrients that they will utilize during winter.

• Promotes deeper root growth.

• Makes grass more resistant to snow mould and frost.

• Promotes accelerated spring green-up.

The professional seasonal lawn care service in Clarence, NY, is able to give advice based on your kind of soil and type of grass, which is best suited to your property.

3. Overseed Bare Spots for a Fuller Lawn:

Autumn is also ideal for overseeding, particularly the lawns that appear too thin or have bare areas. At the time the soil temperature is about 50°F, grass seed germination is slow, and the roots develop to survive the cold.

Pro tip- To keep the seed in place, sprinkle it with the compost or a thin coat of topsoil. Through frequent watering ahead of the freeze, there will be good contact with the soil.

In winter, lawn care in WNY, you can overseed before the snow sets in, and the result will be a green-looking, even lawn when spring comes.

4. Mulch and Protect Shrubs for the Cold:

Shrubs especially suffer in case of freezing winds and temperatures. The mulching of shrubs for winter will produce an insulation layer that controls the soil temperature and traps moisture within the soil.

Mulch types,

• Natural wood chip mulch
• Pine needles
• Compost
• Straw or hay
• Leaves
• Pine needles
  

Add 2-4 inches of mulch around the trunk of each shrub, but do not cover the stem so closely that it rots.

Bonus tip- Cover delicate shrubs with a layer of burlap or frost cloth to prevent windburn and salt damage, particularly in the driveway or by the edges of the roads in Clarence, where they can become salt-burned.

5. Continue Mowing-But Adjust the Height:

A lot of the homeowners quit mowing the lawn the minute the fall comes, and that is incorrect. When the grass has ceased growing, generally with the first hard frost, you should go on with the mowing.

Winter lawn care guidelines:

• Reduce mower height (in the final few cuts) to approximately 2 to 2.5 inches.

• Do not cut too short; your roots may be exposed to frost.

• Fallen leaves should never be mowed over without clearing up, since this may lead to smothering.

Frequent mowing preceding the snow is beneficial in preventing snow mold, a typical winter lawn ailment in WNY.

6. Manage Fallen Leaves and Debris:

The presence of leaf litter on the ground may add moisture to your lawn and kill it during the winter. You can mow them instead of bagging them all, and this way, you will put organic nutrients back into the soil.

Cold-weather yard care tips:

• Tear up natural compost leaves.

• Do not heap leaves around bushes.

• Rake downwards, so as not to harm the grass crowns.

A lawn that is clean and free of garbage preconditions healthier spring growth.

7. Water Deeply Before the Ground Freezes:

Although the weather gets colder, your lawn and shrubs require water even though the ground has not frozen. Water Your Yard One more time in late fall.

Why it matters:

• Precautions against dehydration at the desk.

• Enhances root health and microbial activity.

• Lessens winter winterization (drying up) of plants.

This is the moment to winterize your irrigation system, which has not yet been done. Turn off and empty the drain to avoid freezing of water in the pipes.

8. Trim & Prune Strategically:

The trees to be pruned are the deciduous shrubs and the dead or diseased ones. The right time would be late fall. Nevertheless, do not overprune very close to winter, as this can cause new branches to grow, which will not be able to survive the cold.

Good pruning practice,

• Remove branches that are crossed or against each other

• Trim perennials following the first frost.

• Cut fractured limbs evenly so that there is no fracture during winter.

These seasonal lawn care in Clarence, NY, in spring and fall, protects your grass better against snowstorms.

9. Prepare Garden Beds and Borders:

Winter protection is also required in case you are keeping flower beds or vegetable gardens. In order to winterize a garden in Buffalo, you may go through the following steps,

• Take off yearly and put in compost.

• Use mulch or straw to cover perennials.

• Keep away bulbs with an insulating mantle of leaves.

• Use end watering prior to frost.

Covering garden beds with winter also helps avoid soil erosion, but also keeps the soil healthy in terms of its structure, to be used in the next season.

10. Protect Against Salt and Snow Damage:

Road salt can cause a devastating effect on lawns and shrubs that are close to the driveway or the sidewalks in Buffalo and other WNY areas. In shoveling or plowing, the snow piles should be redirected in areas that are not adjacent to the plant beds to prevent salt accumulation.

Tip- Rock salt can be replaced with calcium chloride; this is not as damaging to plants. Laying in place small barriers or edging would also help in keeping the roots of delicate plants out of the salt splash.

Get Professional Lawn Care Winter Prep Before The Snow

When keeping your lawn in shape during cold seasons in WNY seems like an impossible task, Clarence, NY seasonal lawn care can help you keep your lawn in good health and safely maintained throughout the year.

How professionals do lawn care, winter preparation, and maintenance

• They do soil testing and add necessary fertilizers
• Timely soil aeration
• Proper mulching services
• Shrub wrapping
• Dead branch pruning
  

When you have a lawn care service like KD Nursery before winter, you will be able to have your landscape readily change to spring with minimal damage.

Why not get some cold-tolerant plants to make your winter prep easy? Read this friendly from KD Nursery: Best Cold-Tolerant Plants.

Quick Winter Lawn Care Tips 

• Lawn fertilizing before winter.

• Aerate the soil before the first snow.
  
• Find bare spots and overseed them.
  
• Mowing should be done to 2–2.5 inches.
  
• Done irrigation deeply before ground freezing.
  
• Mulching shrubs for winter.

• Trim and prune unwanted and dead branches.
  
• Take precautions against salt damage.
  
• Get consultation from a service for lawn maintenance in Clarence, NY, to prepare for winter.
  

Get more insightful information from Angi: Guide to preparing your lawn for winter.

Conclusion: Prepare Today for a Healthier Spring

You can pay off now by winter lawn care in Clarence and getting your lawn and shrubs ready so that when spring comes, you will not have to fret about it. Starting with fertilizing, aerating, mulching, and pruning, each little step will make your landscape sturdier in case of freezing temperatures and snow.

The correct winter lawn care will keep your lawn strong, minimize frost and salt damage, and guarantee that your lawn is green and healthy. With the help of KD Nursery, the best winter lawn care in WNY, you can get these tasks done more easily.

FAQs

Q1. How to prepare my lawn for the winter in WNY?

Before the first snow, aerate, fertilize, and cut your lawn to an approximate height of 2-2.5 inches. Cut the leaves, over-sow thin areas, and mulch shrubs to prevent freezing of the roots.

Q2. How to do lawn fertilizing before winter?

Apply a low-rate, nitrogen-based fertilizer designed to be applied to cold-season grass. Use it late in the fall when the ground is not frozen so that the roots are stronger and more productive in the spring.

Q3. Is mulching shrubs to protect them in the winter necessary?

Yes. Put 2-4 inches of organic mulch, such as bark or pine needles, around the base of shrubs to cover roots and inhibit frost damage on shrubs in winter lawn care in WNY.