Tips to help lawns survive the winter

JACKSON, Tenn. — Temperatures are starting to drop and leaves are starting to die, but can you keep your lawn from doing the same?

A local company is sharing what you can do to keep a healthy lawn during the winter months.

“It’s so important because in the springtime, there’s so many diseases that can come in and affect the plants,” said James Mooring, the operations manager for 4-EverGreen.

Diseases and fungus can occur year round, but it’s hard to see when your grass is dormant in the cooler months.

“Coming out of winter and into spring, you have a lot of winterkill and dollar spots, but you have a lot of funguses as well,” Mooring said.

The main culprit for many of these diseases is moisture.

“Moisture is a lot of it. Excess moisture is one thing that can cause the fungus growth and different diseases,” Mooring said.

Which is why prolonged periods of snow — like in February of 2020 — will lead to more diseases like winterkill.

“Snow will increase the winterkill because it’s holding that moisture, and when that snow starts melting, most of the time, that moisture is trapped,” Mooring said.

One thing you can do at home to prevent some of these diseases and fungi is to have good drainage in the lawn to prevent standing water.

“Make sure there is no water standing in the lawns. Because if the water is standing, that can be a source of danger for the lawn,” Mooring said.

Weed prevention also leads to better drainage and a healthier lawn.

“The best thing for a healthy lawn is to be weed free, so it doesn’t have any competition and it isn’t fighting for nutrients,” Mooring said.

And if you want to go the extra mile, you can also splurge on a good fertilizer for your plants.

“The second thing I would say is adding the potash to strengthen the plant. It’s just a form of fertilizer,” Mooring said.

With these tips, you can have a healthy lawn all year round.

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