5 October Mistakes That Will RUIN Your LAWN This Winter!, by The Garden Guide on YouTube. 13 min 34 s.
- Video length
- 13 min 34 s
- Time to do it
- 1 to 2 hours
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Walk the lawn on a dry day in early autumn and mark the problem spots: bare patches, compacted areas and low points where water collects.
Scarify or dethatch in early autumn, ideally in September, so the grass has weeks to recover. Scarifying in late October leaves thin, exposed grass going into winter.
Pick a fall fertilizer with low nitrogen and higher potassium to harden the grass for cold. Read the label and check the numbers before you buy.
Keep strong high-nitrogen feed away from fresh seed. Too much nitrogen burns young seedlings and pushes soft growth that frost kills.
Check the lawn after rain and note where water sits. Fork or aerate those spots, fill shallow hollows with topsoil and send downpipes away from the grass.
Skip weed preventer on newly seeded areas. A pre-emergent stops all seed from sprouting, including the grass seed you just put down.
Lift trampolines, patio furniture, firewood, hoses and pots off the grass before winter. Anything left sitting all season blocks light and air and causes yellow patches and snow mold.
Set your last mow slightly higher than usual and clear fallen leaves. Matted leaves smother the grass and hold moisture through the wet months.
Tips and common mistakes
Scarify no later than early October in most climates so the grass has four to six weeks to recover before the first hard frost.
Never spread a pre-emergent and grass seed at the same time. Wait until the new grass has been mown a few times.
Shift objects a little each week instead of leaving them in one spot, so the grass underneath can breathe.
Stay off the lawn when it is frozen or waterlogged, because footprints snap the blades and leave brown marks.
Questions
When is it too late to scarify my lawn before winter?
Late October is usually too late. Aim for early autumn so the grass has several weeks of mild weather to fill back in before the cold sets in.
Can I put weed preventer down after overseeding?
No. A pre-emergent blocks germination, so it will stop your new grass seed too. Wait until the new grass is established and has been mown a few times.
What should I do about standing water on my lawn?
Aerate or fork the wet spots to open the soil, fill shallow dips with topsoil, and move downpipes and drains so water runs away from the grass rather than pooling on it.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
