Your Ultimate Winter Lawn Care Guide: How to Winterize Your Lawn

Quick Answer

Winter lawn care starts now, before your grass goes dormant. Test your soil before the ground freezes, then feed based on your grass type. Cool-season lawns get one last nitrogen feed around the final mow, while the grass is still green. Warm-season lawns skip nitrogen and get potassium instead. Then clear leaves, lower your mowing height a notch for the last few mows, winterize your sprinklers, water only during dry spells, and stay off frozen grass.

Winter is coming, so surely there's not much lawn care left to do, right? Not quite. Most lawns go dormant during the winter, but what you do in the weeks before that happens decides how your grass looks come spring. That preparation is called winterizing your lawn, and it's the heart of good winter lawn care.

Healthy grass going into the cold is your best defense against lawn pests and weed problems next year, while weak, thin grass is the first to suffer. Here's how to winterize your lawn, step by step.

When Should You Start Winterizing Your Lawn?

Right now, before your lawn goes dormant. Grass can only take up nutrients and repair itself while it's still growing, so the window closes once the ground freezes. When you winterize depends on the grass type.

• Cool-season grasses (Kentucky Bluegrass, Tall Fescue, Perennial Ryegrass) keep growing through fall, so winterizing carries on right up to your final mow.

• Warm-season grasses (Bermuda, Zoysia, St. Augustine, Centipede) are slowing down quickly as nights cool. If yours is still green, the next couple of weeks are your last chance to get it ready. If it's already browned out, skip feeding and focus on cleanup and protection.

If you’re not sure which type of grass you have, our guide to Transition Zone grass strategies will help, and our 365-Day Lawn Care Schedule shows what to do month by month.

Start with a Soil Test

A soil test tells you exactly what your lawn needs before you spend money on fertilizer. Test now, before the ground freezes. If you haven't fed yet this fall, the results will guide your final feed. If you fertilized in the last 3 to 4 weeks, wait until that time has passed before testing to avoid skewing the results. 

A home soil test kit shows your soil's pH and its levels of the three key macronutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Turfgrass does best in soil with a neutral pH and a good balance of all three. Nitrogen is a component of chlorophyll, which gives lawns their green color. Phosphorus strengthens the root system, and potassium promotes healthy grass growth and winter hardiness.

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Fertilizer bags list these macronutrients as "NPK," with a number for each showing how much the product contains, so your results tell you which numbers to look for. Micronutrients are needed in smaller amounts, and gaps can be corrected with Golf Course Lawn Micronutrient Blend. 

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Not sure what your results mean? See Soil Test Kit Results Back: What Next?

If your soil is too acidic, a product like MAG-I-CAL® PLUS will raise the pH. If it's too alkaline, you'll need one that does the opposite and lowers your soil's pH.

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Which Winter Lawn Fertilizer Should I Use?

With your soil test results, you can select the appropriate winter lawn fertilizer. Our recommendation? A lawn fertilizer that will help your grass tolerate cold temperatures and green up quicker in spring.

The right choice of fertilizer depends on your grass type: cool-season lawns need a final nitrogen feed with plenty of potassium, while warm-season lawns need potassium only, which helps warm-season grasses withstand cold temperatures. For grass, potassium improves water uptake and retention and is an essential ingredient for winter lawn fertilizers. We’re going with the granular fertilizers here, as they’re quite easy to apply,  but feel free to use a liquid lawn fertilizer if you prefer. 

Cool-Season Lawns

This is the most important feed of the year for cool-season grass. Purdue University turfgrass research recommends fertilizing primarily in the fall, followed by a final feed near the last mowing of the year, while the lawn is still green. Fall nitrogen builds roots and energy reserves, and the payoff shows up next spring as earlier green-up and thicker turf.

Timing matters more than the bag. The grass has to take that last feed before winter, so once the ground freezes, the window closes.

If you haven't made your final feed yet, Stress 12-0-24 is a strong choice with a blend of fast- and slow-release nitrogen that greens up the grass without forcing soft top growth. It's also high in potassium, which toughens grass against frost.

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Warm-Season Lawns

Warm-season grass is a different story: its nitrogen window has closed for this year. University of Georgia Extension warns that feeding nitrogen this late can delay dormancy long enough for the grass to suffer cold injury and set the lawn up for spring dead spot.

Potassium is the exception. It helps warm-season grass handle the cold, and UGA notes that a pre-emergent containing potassium improves winter hardiness in Bermuda lawns. Dimension 0-0-7 does exactly that: it feeds potassium with no nitrogen and adds pre-emergent weed control. Poa annua sprouts in waves, so even now it can stop later flushes, though it won't touch weeds that are already up. Apply it as soon as you can, before the first frost, and water it in with about half an inch of irrigation.

One honest note: if your soil test shows plenty of potassium already, adding extra won't help much. That's another reason to test first.

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How to Apply Fertilizer

Use a broadcast spreader for granular fertilizer or a backpack sprayer for liquid fertilizer. Follow the label and don't exceed the recommended rate, as too much fertilizer can burn or shock your grass. Never fertilize frozen ground: the grass can't use it, and it can wash into waterways. Our Lawn Fertilization Calculator works out how much your lawn needs.

For more options, see our roundup of the best fertilizers to use in the fall.

Related: Everything You Need to Know About Lawn Fertilization

Should You Treat Weeds Before Winter?

Yes, if they're still actively growing. Broadleaf weeds like clover and dandelions are moving nutrients down to their roots for winter right now, and they carry herbicide down with them. Once weeds stop growing, most weed killers won't do much, so check the label for the temperature range in which the product works.

In warm-season areas, the main pre-emergent window has passed in many places, but a pre-emergent applied now can still stop later flushes of Poa annua and other winter weeds. If you can already see seedlings, a pre-emergent won't touch them, so you'll need a post-emergent product instead. For the full rundown, see our Ultimate Guide to Fall Weed Control and Can You Apply Pre-emergent in Fall?

Clear Leaves and Lower Your Mowing Height

Leaves left on your lawn block sunlight and trap moisture, which is the perfect environment for lawn diseases. Keeping the lawn clear helps prevent pests, weeds, and diseases such as lawn-attacking fungi, and it lets air move through the turf. Slugs and other insects love those damp, insulated conditions too.

Rake, blow, or mulch leaves before the first snow. A light layer can be mulched with your mower and left to break down, but a thick mat needs to be raked. Our guide to raking vs. mulching leaves explains when to do which.

Over your last few mows, lower your mowing height a notch at a time to about 2 to 2.5 inches. Long grass can mat down under snow, which is exactly what snow mold and other winter lawn diseases love. Just don't scalp it.

When to Stop Mowing

Keep mowing as long as the grass is growing. Once temperatures stay below 41°F, most lawns slow to a stop and head into dormancy, which is when it’s time to put the mower away for the season.

Keep Off Frozen and Dormant Grass

Try not to walk on your lawn too much while it's dormant. Even the toughest grass is weakened by heavy foot traffic, and because it isn't growing, it can't repair itself until spring. Heavily used areas take longer to green up and become compacted, which chokes the roots.

Water Lightly Until the Ground Freezes

Keep watering while your grass is still growing, counting rainfall, and taper off as growth slows. Once the lawn is dormant, it needs very little: about half an inch every couple of weeks is plenty, and only during dry spells when the ground isn't frozen. Rain and snow usually cover it.

Winterize Your Sprinklers and Service Your Equipment

If you live in an area where the ground freezes, winterize your sprinkler system before the first hard freeze. Water left in the lines can freeze, expand, and crack pipes, fittings, and heads, and you won't find out until spring. Shut off the supply, drain the system, and blow out the lines, or call an irrigation pro if you're not confident doing it yourself.

Winter is also the perfect time to look after your equipment. Sharpen your mower blades, clean out your spreaders and sprayers, and get everything ready for spring. While you're at it, see the lawn care products you should buy now for spring.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to water my lawn in winter?

Usually not. Dormant grass needs very little water, and snow or winter rain typically covers it. The exception is a dry winter with no snow cover, especially in windy or arid areas. If the ground isn't frozen and temperatures are above 40°F, about half an inch of water every couple of weeks will keep the roots from drying out. The bigger win is giving your lawn a good drink in late fall before the ground freezes.

How do I fix bare spots in my lawn before winter?

Every lawn gets bare spots eventually, whether from foot traffic, heat stress, dull mower blades, or a pest problem you didn't catch in time. Whatever the cause, a bare spot is a weak point, and winter will only make it worse. Our guide to fixing bare spots in your lawn before winter shows you how to patch them before weeds, pests, and erosion move in.

How do I prevent snow mold?

Snow mold thrives when grass goes into winter long, matted, or smothered, so prevention comes down to a few simple fall habits:

• Keep mowing until the grass stops growing, and finish a little shorter than usual.

• Rake up leaves before the first snow so they don’t trap moisture.

• Go easy on late-season nitrogen.

• Spread shoveled snow around rather than piling it in one spot on the lawn.

If it shows up anyway, lightly rake the matted patches in spring so they can dry out. Most lawns recover on their own. For areas that get hit every year, a preventive fungicide applied in late fall is worth considering. See our guide to managing winter lawn diseases for more information.

Is my grass dead or dormant?

Try the tug test. Grab a handful of brown grass and pull gently. Dormant grass stays firmly rooted, while dead grass pulls out easily. You can also check the crown (the base where the blade meets the roots): if it's still firm and white or slightly green, it's alive. Dormant lawns usually brown out evenly, while dead grass tends to show up in patches. When in doubt, be patient. Dormant grass greens back up once temperatures warm in spring.

Should I aerate my lawn before winter?

In most cases, no. By late October, most lawns are too close to dormancy to recover from aeration, so wait until spring. The exception is a compacted cool-season lawn in a mild area that's still putting on steady growth and has a few weeks before dormancy. Warm-season lawns are better aerated in late spring, once they're actively growing again. Aerating dormant grass just leaves holes it can't fill. Our guides to core aeration and aerating and overseeding together walk you through it.

Can I seed my lawn in winter?

For cool-season grasses, yes, using a method called dormant seeding. You spread seed once the soil is cold enough that it won't sprout until spring. The freeze-and-thaw cycle helps work the seed into the soil, and it germinates as temperatures rise. The catch is that birds, heavy rain, and runoff can claim some of it, so expect a few losses. Warm-season grasses need warm soil to germinate, so save seeding for late spring.

Will de-icing salt damage my lawn?

It can. Rock salt (sodium chloride) pulls moisture away from grass roots and accumulates in the soil. This is why the strip of lawn along driveways and sidewalks often turns brown in spring. Use salt sparingly, try a gentler de-icer such as calcium magnesium acetate, or use sand for grip instead. Avoid piling salty snow on the lawn, and give those areas a good soaking in spring to help flush the salt out.

Is there any work to do on my lawn in winter?

Not much, and that's the point. Keep foot traffic off frozen grass, clear away fallen branches and debris after storms, and don't leave heavy items like furniture or kids' toys sitting on the lawn for weeks. Use the quiet months to review your soil test, plan next year's program, and stock up so you're ready for spring.

All You Want for Christmas Is a Golf Course Lawn

Good winter lawn care is all about making spring easier. Feed your lawn the right nutrients for its grass type, deal with weeds and leaves now, and give it a quiet, undisturbed winter. Do that, and you'll cut down on problems and costs when the weather warms up. A little organization works wonders!

Ready to winterize your lawn? Browse our lawn fertilizers and soil test kits to get on track for a golf course lawn next spring, or check out our YouTube channel for more tips and ideas.

Originally published on October 28, 2022