Homeowners often think of spring and summer as the main times to tackle lawn care. However, proper winterization is a crucial part of maintaining a healthy yard all year round. Here are three pieces of advice for caring for your grass for the colder months so it’s ready to spring back once the weather warms up.

How to Winterize Your Lawn

1. Aerate the Soil

During the summertime, many people use their lawns for pool time, games of fetch, and family fun. All that foot traffic can compress the soil and make it difficult for minerals, nutrients, and water to permeate deep into the ground and nourish the grass. In late fall, use an aerator like shoe spikes or a pitchfork to punch little holes into the soil. These divots will make it easier for the grass to stay hydrated and come back to life once the winter is over.

2. Skip Watering

In northern parts of the U.S. lawns are typically made up of grasses that grow dormant during the winter. They don’t die off entirely. Instead, these species stop growing and don’t require active watering. When spring begins and snow melts, the ground will thaw allowing moisture to seep into aeration divots and revive the grasses as temperatures increase.

3. Clear Out the Irrigation System 

If you don’t clear out all the water in the lawn irrigation system before it freezes, the system may break. Water in the pipes and sprinklers can expand and crack the hoses or sprayers. Have a professional team use an air compressor to blow out each section of the system to remove all the water. This way you’ll know the sprinklers should be ready to use again once the ground thaws out.

Homeowners interested in professional lawn winterization services should contact the team at The Sprinkler Connection in Monroe County, NY. The company has been in business for over 30 years, offering irrigation and sprinkler system installs, care, and winterization.  Call (585) 398-3960 or visit the website for information on their sprinkler connection designs, backflow prevention, and annual maintenance offerings.