A Guide To: Winter Lawn Care

Newtons Guide to Winter Lawn Care

Winter can be a tricky time for any gardener, with many plants and trees entering their dormancy phases whilst the weather remains cooler. However, there’s still plenty you should do (and not do) to ensure your garden is ready for when spring comes around.

Check out our top tips on what you should be doing this winter to make sure your lawn and garden thrives!

Ensure proper water drainage around your property

Though we haven’t had an overly hot or dry summer, an abundance of dry soil after an extended period can result in flooding when the rains eventually come. By removing dead leaf buildup across lawns and soils, rain can more easily penetrate the soil and help retain moisture.

The best way to identify poor drainage is by looking for signs of water pooling. If water isn’t flowing away, you may need to look at improving drainage around your property. Investing in quality drainage will prevent water accumulation and reduce soil erosion, so take a look at our specials we have on RELN products this winter.

Don’t mow, unless necessary

Avoid mowing dormant lawn during winter. By mowing dormant lawn, you might end up damaging your grass and preventing photosynthesis from occurring.

If you absolutely have to mow your lawn, ensure you set your mower to the highest possible blade height, as taking too much off can be detrimental to the grass. You want to maintain as much leaf length as possible since your lawn likely won’t be doing much growing during winter.

We also recommend refraining from fertilising lawn during this time – especially if the lawn is freshly laid, as root systems are yet to establish. Instead, hold off on fertilising until spring. Keep in mind that we only advise against fertilising your lawn – you can still fertilise other plants and bushes. We recommend using a seaweed-based product such as Seamungus by Neutrog, which can be purchased from Newtons Building and Landscape Supplies.

Since most lawn varieties go dormant in the winter, your lawn may be lacking in the typical green colour you may be used to, and some yellow-looking patches can show. Using a lawn dye can circumvent this, by covering up yellowed dormant patches and giving your lawn a green look all season. This solution is handy if you’re looking to entertain guests or give your property kerbside appeal when selling.

Prune your plants

Take advantage of the lack of foliage on trees by pruning unwanted offshoots during the cooler months.

As deciduous trees should be close to fully defoliated, now is the time to look at pruning dormant trees. To prune a deciduous tree, start by pruning any dead or diseased branches, followed by any branches which are crossed over (rubbing up) against each other. Doing so will reduce the chance of disease reoccurrence. Prune the tree back by about of a third to promote new uniform growth as the warmer months roll around. For larger branches, be sure to seal the cut with a bitumen-based spray paint to prohibit disease from entering through these avenues.

As for evergreen trees, hold off on pruning until the spring growing season. Also, stay clear of pruning citrus trees until late winter or early spring.

A quality tool, such as offerings from Spear & Jackson, will make the job of pruning effortless and simple. Look at purchasing bypass secateurs for pruning live plants, or anvil secateurs for pruning dead foliage. Keep an eye out for these products on sale this season at Newtons Building and Landscape Supplies.

Stay on top of weeds

The last thing we all want is for our meticulous gardens – which we’ve maintained all throughout the warmer months – to be taken over by weeds. Clover formation can be prevented by enriching the soil with nitrogen, and early treatment of Bindii will ensure that they don’t stick around when summer comes. It’s best to identify and hit these weeds before they flower, as weeds are much easier to control before they go dormant.

For paved areas such as driveways and pathways showing signs of weeds, look for products such as Heiniger No Grow 500 or Bantox to ensure long term weed control through the winter.

Be sure to pick up nutrients and weedkillers from trusted brands such as Lawn Solutions Australia, Neutrog, Lawnporn, Amgrow, Scotts and Yates next time you stop by Newtons Building and Landscape Supplies.