During the winter months, it is imperative to prepare your lawn with the steps below. 

1. Keep leaves off the lawn 

With leaves continuing to fall, it’s important to remove them as soon as you can as it’s not good for your lawn. You should rake your grass regularly during the fall and remove all the dead leaves. You can also use a leaf blower to remove the leaves as well. 

Leaving the leaves on your turf will prevent sunlight from reaching your grass while also trapping moisture underneath. Excessive moisture can lead to the growth of weeds, the development of rot, and other diseases. 

2. Mow your lawn regularly 

Dropping temperatures does not mean the grass will stop growing. The grass will continue to grow until the first hard frost of winter. If you let your grass grow too long, it will end up matting and will become vulnerable to fungi. 

Keep your grass between 3.5 to 4 inches tall for fescue lawns and 1.5 to 2 inches tall for warm season lawns. Any shorter and you could curtail the lawn’s root system, thereby stunting your grass’s ability to withstand the cold and dry weather of winter. By mowing your lawn regularly, you also chop up the dead leaves. This is an effective alternative to having to rake them. When chopped up, the leaves will work like mulch and will no longer block sunlight or trap moisture. 

3. Water your grass regularly 

Even though there is less heat from the sun to evaporate water, it is still important to water your grass regularly throughout the fall. You will want your grass roots to be properly hydrated and healthy enough to make it through the upcoming winter season. 

Your lawn should get at least an inch of water every week. If you have a sprinkler system, you should run it through to Thanksgiving. Virginia Green suggests scheduling an appointment with your irrigation company for late November to have them winterize your irrigation system. After Thanksgiving you will want to avoid using your sprinklers to prevent frozen pipes and spigots.