Preparing Your Yard for a Florida Winter
Aeration
Fall is the perfect time of the year to aerate your lawn. This involves pulling up small plugs of soil from the ground to allow water, fertilizer, and oxygen to penetrate the soil more deeply. This helps your lawn build a stronger root structure, which will help it survive the winter months and encourage it to grow back even stronger in the spring.
You can rent an aerator from your local home improvement or lawn care specialty store. It is a relatively easy chore to complete, though it can be a bit time-consuming. Rather than spending some of your last hours of warm weather aerating your lawn, you may be better off just hiring a professional to handle it for you. This way, you can relax or enjoy something fun with your loved ones.
Fertilization
Autumn is also a great time of year for fertilizing your lawn. This way, the fertilizer will have plenty of time to soak into the soil and get absorbed through your lawn’s roots. Then, when the weather warms up again in the spring, your lawn will be ready to bounce back to life with vibrancy and color right away. Different types of grass have varying fertilization needs, so be sure to check with a lawn care specialist to verify exactly what your lawn needs.
Watering
When the temperature drops, many warm-weather kinds of grass that are common here in Florida go dormant, meaning that they don’t grow very much, if at all. Because of this, their water needs are minimal. In most cases, you can get away with watering your lawn just once every week or two. To ensure your lawn is getting enough water, take note of what happens when you walk across it. If your footprints stay in the grass for more than a few seconds, your lawn needs a bit more water. If the blades spring back quickly, you’ve found the right watering schedule.
Mowing
Since your lawn won’t be growing as quickly, you won’t need to mow very frequently, but that doesn’t mean that you can completely ignore this task in the winter. If you let your lawn grow too long, sunlight won’t be able to reach down to the lower parts of the grass. Cut it too short, on the other hand, and the blades won’t have enough surface area to absorb the sunlight. Check with your lawn care specialist for the specific mowing length that is optimal for your grass type. In general, a good guideline is to keep your lawn between two and three inches for most types.
Pest Control
Because you won’t be mowing and caring for your lawn as frequently during the winter, pests can have free rein to take up residence in your absence. This is why it is always a good idea to put some pest control measures in place in the fall to protect your lawn over the winter. Your lawn care specialist can advise you as to the steps you need to take to protect your lawn against the types of pests that are most common for your particular grass type. This way, you won’t have to deal with any major infestations when your lawn grows back in the spring.
Bring Your Lawn Back to Life
If you find that your lawn isn’t looking its best when the weather warms back up again, Duda Sod is here to help. We are your Florida sod experts and can help you replace any barren patches in your lawn with fresh sod. From St. Augustine to Bahia to Zoysia and more, we’ve got all the sod you need to get your lawn back to the lush look you know and love. Reach out to us today to get started.