Winter lawn and garden care tips: preparing for a smooth spring transition

By Zach Deloach

Contributor

Welcome to the end of 2024 and the start of 2025. We hope that everyone was able to accomplish their goals for last year and can use this time to relax and enjoy time with family. Thankfully, little is needed to be done outside this time of year, but there are a few things that can be done to make spring transition a little smoother when the time comes.

As the cool weather inevitably comes our way, the first step we recommend taking is to cover your plants. Not all plants will need to be covered, but any tender bulb flowers, delicate trees, tropical plants and newer plantings should be acknowledged. An additional step you can take would be to freshen up the mulch bed. The extra layer can provide additional insulation to your plant roots. Just be cautious not to pile up too much around the plant base, which can lead to moisture build up or even suffocation.

Although we don’t typically recommend bringing a mower across the lawn throughout the winter, it is important to keep debris off lawn. Leaves and limbs sitting on the grass for too long can trap in moisture and reduce sun exposure, leading to disease or loss of turf grass. Blowing or raking is typically our suggested method of removal, but occasionally, it helps to return the nutrients to the soil by mulching the debris with the mower.

At this point in the season, we recommend having all irrigation systems set to the off position. We typically don’t get cold enough to need to purge the lines or winterize the system, but it does help to run the system briefly on a monthly basis, especially if we are not receiving rainfall. When we do get a heavy rainfall, we recommend that you make sure that there is no standing water for an excessive period of time. If you notice an area that is not draining well, that should be addressed to maximize your success next growing season.

Lastly, this time of year you will notice the lawns changing color as they transition to their dormant state. If you notice certain lawns and entry ways are remaining bright green, that is a result of winter rye grass. Winter rye can add a nice pop of color this time of year and is fairly easy to grow, but we would like to precaution the use on your existing lawn. Rye is great for adding coverage to bare areas that usually cannot support sod (shade, drainage, etc.), but when applied onto warm season grasses, it can take needed nutrients and hide disease.

With these few precautions in place, you can sit back and enjoy your holiday season without having to worry about being out in the yard. Of course, if something starts to go wrong in the lawn, reach out to an expert to diagnose and treat before next season is upon us. Have a great winter season.

Zach Deloach is the owner of Lawn Doctor of Beaufort County.