Lawn Care in December

The end of the year is nigh, as is the growing season for your lawn. Now that the temperature has fairly consistently dropped below 10ºC, our lawns begin their winter slumber; going dormant until the spring.

But:

There are still a couple of jobs to do to ensure a flying start in the spring.

In this blog, I’ll go through the essential lawn care tasks for December to make sure that your grass survives the harsh winter months and comes bouncing back in the spring.

Ready? Let’s go!

It’s time to fight moss

Winter is usually wetter and colder, with minimal sunlight. And, unfortunately, these are all of the conditions that moss simply loves.

And this is a particular problem: while moss thrives, your lawn remains dormant and can’t fight back.

Moss creates a thick layer on the soil’s surface, soaking up the rainwater. This essentially starves your grass plants of their water supply, making them dry out.

Therefore, December is an ideal time for protective measures against moss.

You can attack moss in the following ways:

Fighting moss with iron sulphate

Iron sulphate is super-effective against moss. Use the right amount, and you’ll kill off your lawn moss within four days (without damaging your grass plants).

A particularly pleasant side effect of MOOWY’s 2-in-1 Moss Killer and Fertiliser is that your grass gets an unseasonal boost of colour, turning it a beautiful, lush green again.

Check out our expert article for more information about using iron sulphate on your lawn.

Applying garden lime as the second level of attack on moss

Winter can be a challenging time of year for your soil as fallen leaves and plant debris land on your grass and slowly decompose. Over time, this can increase your soil’s acidity levels.

Grass prefers neutral-to-slightly-acidic soil – a pH of 5.5-7 is ideal. Moss, however, loves acidity – so, the lower the pH, the more the moss will find your soil a hospitable place to thrive.

Spreading lime over your lawn’s surface helps to gently restore acidic soil, making it more accommodating to grass (and less to moss). MOOWY’s Lawn Lime provides the right level of treatment to kill off your moss.

And, when it comes to the spring, you might think about scarifying your lawn. But it’s best to avoid this during the winter as it won’t be able to bounce back (and it will look awful throughout the winter).

Check out our expert’s guide to lawn lime.

Grass repairs

December isn’t the best time for intensive work on your lawn but, when there’s a bright, sunny December day, there are a couple of jobs to do, such as:

• Raking up the leaves – if there are still leaves on your lawn from the autumn, rake them up to help preserve the acidity level of your soil and to prevent starving your lawn of oxygen
• Trim the edges – the soil is likely to be wet, making lawn edging a little easier. The edger tool will sink more easily into the ground, making this essential neatening task suitable for December gardeners.

Avoid sowing seed – it won’t germinate until the soil has reached 10ºC, and that’s unlikely to happen until the spring.

Give your lawn a break during winter

Your lawn should survive the cold, harsh winter temperatures as long as you leave it alone. Your grass plants go dormant in the winter, so they won’t be able to heal themselves if they’re damaged during the winter months.

If you get frost, avoid walking on your lawn – you could break the crown, and the grass could die.

If you get snow, just enjoy the pretty carpet of white. Don’t be tempted to clear snow from your lawn – the snow has an insulating effect and will actually protect your grass plants.

Above all, leave your lawn alone. Let it sleep. There will be plenty to do come spring.

Don’t forget the other garden tasks

It may be time to leave your grass to its slumber (other than the essential anti-moss treatments), but winter is an excellent time to prune your trees and mulch your plants.

Prune pollard trees (oak, alder, and poplar), espaliers (hornbeam, chestnut, linden, and sycamore) and fruit trees.

Add a layer of mulch over your flower bed soil to protect your plants from the cold. Winter is a great time to use your leafmould.

And don’t forget the birds. Hang up fat balls and peanuts so they have something to eat this winter.

But, most important of all, enjoy a little time off.

Any questions?

We love to hear from you here at MOOWY. So, if you have any questions, get in touch.

We’ll get back to you asap!

Have a very merry Christmas and a prosperous new year!