Preparing your lawn for winter in Southern MD.

Brought to you by a Southern MD landscaping company.

Keeping your lawn in good shape does not just happen in the spring and summer. If you want a nice lush lawn all spring and summer long, then it starts with you taking some steps to prepare the lawn for winter. Here's what to do to get your lawn ready for the months ahead.

1. Reseed in the beginning of fall. If you have any bare patches in your lawn, then now is the time to fill those spots. Grass grows well in the fall.

2. Fertilize. Grass begins to slow its growth in the fall to save its nutrients for the harsh winter months. So this is the perfect time to fertilize your lawn so it gets the extra nutrients from the fertilizer that will keep it strong all winter long. This will help increase root growth.

3. Aerate the lawn. This is the process of getting oxygen to the plant roots. To do this you will need to thoroughly water your lawn a day or two before you begin aerating it. Apply about one inch of water to the lawn. Using a core aerator, run it evenly over the lawn. Using a mechanical aerator is the best. Finally you will need to apply compost or sand over the aerated lawn.

4. Mow the lawn. Don't mow it too short, though. Lower your mowing height to ½ an inch below your standard summer mowing height. Leave these clippings from your final mow on the lawn. They can be used as mulch for the lawn and help protect it from the harsh winter.

5. Rake the lawn. Don't get all the debris up, but you don't want big clumps of grass left either which could stifle the grass.

You want to make sure your equipment for keeping up your lawn the rest of the year is up to par as well. Now is the perfect time to take stock and to store the equipment correctly.

Make sure to drain your lawn mower of all of the gasoline before storing it for winter. You can do this by not filling it with gas before the last mow and then when you're done allow the engine to run until it runs out of gas.

Turn off all of your sprinklers and drain the lines as well. You don't want the water to freeze over the winter because that can cause damage to your lawn. The pipes can burst because water expands when it freezes. Not only is it a costly fix, it's also a huge mess that will require digging up your yard.

All of these steps are important to keeping your lawn healthy and weed free come spring. You will have the best looking yard in the neighborhood next year if you follow these simple steps to winterize your lawn.  For lawn care and maintenance plans in Southern MD contact Sunscape Landscaping Company.