How to Winterise a Lawn

When you start looking for information on how to winterise a lawn in New Zealand, you may quickly learn that we don’t experience the same weather extremes as other countries. Our winterising processes are often far less intensive than those required in some parts of the United States or the United Kingdom, for example.

This is good news for those who don’t have the time or desire for this task. However, that doesn’t mean you’re entirely off the hook. If you want your yard to bounce back come springtime, there are a few things you may need to add to your to-do list in winter and autumn, such as these below.

Mow When you Need To

Lawn mowing is rarely required in winter and autumn as the majority of our grasses experience significant growth in the warmer months of the year. However, that doesn’t mean you won’t need to haul your mower out of storage at least once over that six-month period.

During particularly mild days, lawns still grow and begin to look a little bit unkempt. If you notice that your grass looks untidy and feels spongy underfoot, you may need to mow it. Wait until a dry day before you complete this task, or hire a lawn mowing business on a contract to take care of it for you.

Give Your Mower Some TLC

With the sun shining over the summer months, your lawn mower likely saw a lot of action. It worked hard, and now’s the right time to perform some much-needed maintenance and prepare it for life in the tool shed for a few months.

Start by cleaning it from top to bottom while paying particular attention to underneath the deck. Check all filter seals and clean or replace the air filter.

While inspecting and maintaining the blades, don’t forget to disconnect the spark plug lead. File down any bumps or nicks and replace or sharpen your blade if it’s damaged or blunt.

When you know you’re not going to touch your mower for some time, remove the battery and store it somewhere cool and dry, such as a secure garage. Once you’ve disconnected the battery cable from the battery, clean the terminal with a wire brush and coat all terminals with a protector product.

If you still have fuel left in the mower tank, add a fuel stabilizer product to ensure it doesn’t gum up inside your mower. Alternatively, drain the tank. However, it’s often recommended that you store a mower with a full tank of fuel and stabiliser to stop moisture from creating rust that clogs your carburetor.

By winterising your lawn mower, you stand a better chance of being able to drag it out of the garage in spring and have it start with minimal effort.

Look After Your Lawn

Spring and summer lawn care tasks can be overwhelming, which is why many people hire lawn care teams to take care of them. They get to enjoy a neatly manicured lawn and tidy property, but without all the effort associated with weeding, feeding, edging, mowing, and more.

You might assume that autumn and winter allow you to take a bit of a break, especially as the grass isn’t growing, but our lawns still need nourishment when the mercury plummets. Your lawns may not be growing as quickly as they do in spring, but they require help by way of fertiliser and tonics to repair any damage that colder weather can cause.

Seaweed tonics and granulated fertilisers are more than suitable for winter and autumn placement, and you can also purchase cool-season formula fertiliser. If you’re unsure when and how to apply such products to help your lawn survive and thrive, consult your local garden store worker or lawn mowing expert.

However, looking after your lawn can go beyond fertilising. You may also need to water it as you do in summer and spring. While winter and autumn are undoubtedly the wettest and coldest months of the year, that’s not the case in all parts of the country.

If you live somewhere with dry winters, your lawn may be in desperate need of water without you realising it. See if the soil feels dry, then water for half as long as you would in summer. Allow plenty of time before night falls to reduce the risk of the lawn succumbing to fungal problems.

Keep Weeding

Spending time in your garden is undoubtedly less fun during autumn and winter than in spring and summer. However, it can be necessary to keep weeding year-round to prevent issues once spring arrives once more. 

Annual weed plants grow and produce seeds while it’s cold, and some lawn weed types like broadleaf use those seasons to grow, spread, and smother the grass. Herbicide may be necessary for large lawns, but you may be able to cut out such weeds on small to medium lawns.

Winterise Your Lawn Today

Autumn has well and truly arrived, which means we have to adjust how we care for our properties. Now might be the right time to get some of these winterising tasks underway or start looking for lawn care companies to take care of them for you.