SPOKANE, Wash. – Local lawn maintenance experts have shared several important tasks to prepare your yard for the upcoming cold weather.
William Fisk from Inland Lawn Maintenance emphasized the importance of dethatching your lawn. This involves removing grass remnants from the soil surface to allow the ground to breathe. Fisk noted that while hiring a professional can be more expensive than doing it yourself, it can save time in the long run.
Fisk also recommended aerating your lawn. This process involves poking holes in the ground to remove compacted soil and provide access to essential nutrients.
Booking appointments for sprinkler blowouts is advisable as they fill up quickly, even if it’s still early for the task.
Cleaning your yard before it gets too cold is also crucial. Fisk said, “Well, if you take care of it now, you’re not going to have you leave, leaves over throughout the winter. You’re going to have mold. You can have all sorts of other insects and parasites in your grass from that, cleaning it up is is a good.”
Fisk shared additional advice on selecting lawn products. He emphasized the need to choose fertilizers designed for fall use. Fisk explained that some fertilizers promote growth, while others are meant to pause it. He cautioned against grass growing and freezing over the winter, suggesting maintaining a healthy pause after the last cut of the season.
Removing dead plants as they fall is another task Fisk recommended, as prolonged exposure to weather cycles can make cleanup more challenging.
Lastly, Fisk advised using pre-emergent herbicides to prevent weed growth over the winter. “It is a selective herbicide, so it won’t allow any new weeds to populate. So it it’ll stop it at the source. It won’t kill anything that’s already living, but anything that is going to come up, seeds and everything like that, it’ll prevent it from germinating,” Fisk said.
Trimming hedges now is also recommended, as Fisk pointed out that the task becomes less enjoyable once the cold sets in.
