The Early Bird Advantage

“The best defense is a good offense!”

This is not exclusive to sports alone. This applies especially well to lawn care and maintenance. There’s a laundry list of things to do to keep your lawn looking glorious, but in the soggy Winter season, there are some preventative things that can be done to make sure your lawn stays beautiful. This edition of our blog will explore 3 major things to look out for to maintain your lawn’s health.

The first thing to look out for are signs of potential pests and mold. Grubs will absolutely kill your lawn, leaving unsightly brown patches. There are a couple of ways to get rid of those invasive, unwelcome larvae! One is to spray your lawn with an organic fertilizer in the Winter. Organic fertilizer has beneficial nematodes which will kill the grubs. There is also a milky spore mold that will kill grubs and not hurt you or your lawn! You can purchase it on amazon HERE. These are the organic methods, but there is, of course, always a pesticide solution. 

Grub Identification

Gophers and moles can also wreak havoc on a beautiful lawn. Getting rid of a gopher is not the same as getting rid of a mole and both have different processes! Leave that to the professionals. It IS important to learn how to spot the holes, tunnels, and mounds before they become an even bigger nuisance.

Gopher vs. Mole

The types of mold that are more likely to occur are usually not beneficial to your lawn and can cause brown or slimy patches. Mold can occur when your lawn stays damp for too long thanks to heavy rain, shade, or low spots. Fungi can often show up when you mow your lawn with dull mower blades. Dull blades can shred the tops of the grass versus a clean cut. This makes grass more susceptible to infections. Surprisingly, a common item found in most households can easily and quickly remove mold and fungus. A simple solution of vinegar and water spritzed onto the fungal-affected areas is sure to help! 

Brown Patches

Another common mold that can kill plants and trees is powdery mildew. Again, common household items can eliminate this problem. Mouthwash! Put mouthwash in a spray bottle and spray the leaves (not the ground) with mouthwash. 

Powdery Mildew

To prevent standing water, which is a known culprit for a patchy lawn, consider installing a french drain. Winter is an ideal time to install a french drain which should help rain sluice away from water-logged areas. French drains can be an attractive solution! It’s also the best time to backfill any depressions in the ground and over-seed them so that they blend into the rest of the lawn. The low spots might need to be backfilled several times before they are even and settled.

French Drain

Another important thing to do is trimming trees, bushes, and hedges. It is imperative to time it correctly! Late Winter (in the March-April timeframe) is the best time to tackle that project. It’s important to get it done before Spring, before the plants go to bud. It’s also a great way to get more light to the lawn and flower beds, further reducing shady spots that can lead to mold. 

Time for a Trim

Now you have all the information to prevent problems with your lawn! These are things that are incredibly important to do in mid to late Winter. You don’t have to do it alone! The fantastic Virginia Lawn Service, Inc. team would love to put together a lawn maintenance package to fit any budget and needs.