Keeping Your Grass Healthy Through Winter

Gardening continues to be a cherished British pastime, with statistics from the UK Census data and surveys analysed by Horticulture Magazine revealing that 87% of households across the UK have a garden.

There’s plenty of money being splashed out on these outdoor spaces too, with expectations that more than £6.5 billion will be spent on gardening products by those living in the UK each year by 2025.

As the cold winter weather quickly rolls in though, the nation’s gardens will once again be subjected to some harsh conditions. While people won’t be using their property’s outdoor spaces as much during this time of year, they should refrain from neglecting this area entirely.

Builder’s merchant Travis Perkins, who offer a wide range of products to help expert gardeners with their garden and landscaping projects, has provided five top tips to keep grass healthy throughout the winter months – as well as some additional advice to ensure an outdoor space looks vibrant and welcoming during the cold snap and beyond…

1. Know when to stop mowing a lawn

A lawn should stop growing when the temperature dips below 5°C in the winter, so this will be the indication to stop mowing the grass until the weather gets milder again.

Cutting the lawn less frequently and using a high mower setting is recommended leading up to this point, as grass will grow more slowly in the lead-up to the winter months.

However, there is the risk that the lawnmower’s blades will be damaged if trying to mow a lawn that is frosty or frozen once the cold snap takes hold. Mowing wet grass should also be avoided. This not only has the potential to damage a lawnmower further, but the result will likely be an uneven cut as grass tends to clump together in these conditions.

Before putting the lawnmower away until the spring though, give it a clean and service it by ensuring the blades remain in a good condition and are still sharp.

2. Dress your lawn for winter with topsoil

Topsoil protects roots and grass plant crowns on a lawn from the rain, frost and snow that is often seen during the winter season. This is because the many nutrients found within topsoil keeps grass healthy and allows it to fend off the harsh conditions that a cold snap brings.

Just make sure to clear a lawn of moss and thatch before applying topsoil – expert gardeners will get the most out of this product if there are no other elements competing with the grass for the topsoil’s nutrients.

A thin layer of topsoil is all that is needed on a lawn too, with topsoil covering blades of grass a good indicator that too much is being used.

Once the topsoil is placed, use a rake to evenly distribute it around a lawn and then apply a little bit of water to settle it into the grass.

3. Keep fallen leaves off the grass

Many leaves may already have fallen during the autumn months, but there may still be a stubborn few which only find their way onto a lawn as winter hits.

It is important that all fallen leaves are cleared from the grass. Doing so not only keeps an outdoor space looking clean and tidy, but it also means that the leaves will not trap moisture or risk allowing grass to develop diseases like fusarium patch (sometimes referred to as snow mould).

Use a light rake or a brush to clear away fallen leaves in a way that will not cause damage to grass that may already be feeling the cold bite of winter.

4. Keep an eye out for water puddles

Noticing water puddles across a lawn during the winter months? This will indicate to gardeners that the soil in their outdoor space has become compacted.

Ease the compaction with either a garden fork or an aerator, as this will provide a garden’s roots with more air and increase the amount of drainage that a lawn has.

5. Limit foot traffic on the grass

As much as possible, try to keep everyone off a lawn throughout the winter – especially when the grass has become wet or is covered in frost.

Grass will not be actively growing during a cold spell, so any damage caused to it will stay until the spring. It is only then, once the temperatures begin to rise, that grass begins to repair itself.

Advice when maintaining an artificial lawn during winter

If a property has a synthetic lawn installed, then there are a few things to bear in mind when looking to remove any snow or ice from the artificial grass in the winter.

To begin with, take note that there is no harm with leaving wintry weather on a synthetic lawn. Those who enjoy looking out at a winter wonderland in their outdoor space need not worry that this will be damaging the artificial grass that the ice and snow is covering.

Ice should always be left to melt in its own time on a synthetic lawn too, as trying to scrape it off can damage the artificial grass.

Snow is a different matter though. A garden broom should be used to brush away light snow, while a plastic shovel is recommended when dealing with heavy snow. For the latter, use the shovel to get rid of the top layer of the snow and then switch to the broom to clear any snow that remains underneath.

When removing snow from artificial grass, just take care never to dig into the turf itself. Plastic tools should always be used instead of metal ones as well, due to the risk that the grass fibre of a synthetic lawn can be damaged by the likes of metal shovels.

What to plant in the winter

A property’s outdoor space may not be used as much in the winter months, but there are still plenty that can be planted in a garden when the weather turns chilly:

November: Spring tulips & garlic

As winter arrives, use well-draining containers to plant some spring tulips. The bulbs should be placed at a depth of around three times their height, with compost then used as a cover. These will then grow ready to be at their vibrant best come the spring.

For even further long-term thinking, planting garlic in November can help ensure a good harvest in the summer months. Garlic cloves should be planted with the pointed end up in well-drained soil, around two centimetres deep and between 15 and 23 centimetres apart.

December: Onions

Another one with the summer harvest in mind, look to sow onions in December to give them ample time to mature.

Onion seeds can either be put into seed trays or plugs which are filled with compost. To start with though, keep them in a warm setting like a heated greenhouse so that germination can be encouraged.

January: Sweet peas & bare-root roses

Ring in the New Year by planting some sweet peas in a garden’s greenhouse, as early sowing these can encourage earlier blooms and much stronger plants. The seeds of the sweet peas should be placed into pots, with soil kept moist but never waterlogged.

January is also a great opportunity to plant some bare-root roses. The roots of these plants should be soaked in water for a few hours ahead of planting them. After this, dig a hole in a garden that’s large enough to take the roots and then use a mixture of compost and soil to backfill the hole. Once planted, regularly water the bare-root roses and mulch around the base.

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