Just because the weather is miserable, it doesn’t mean you can abandon your garden altogether. Winter is the perfect time for a whole bunch of gardening tasks, from planting bulbs like tulips to pruning dormant apple trees; now is also when Brits need to be bringing in their more vulnerable plants indoors to keep them protected from the incoming frost.
When it comes to your once lusciously green lawn, you don’t need to put in too much effort. Contrary to popular belief, you can still mow your grass in the winter if it still growing- but make sure you avoid mowing when the ground is wet and frozen. Keep the height to around three inches too, and you’ll be fine.
Aside from mowing your lawn, there are three easy tips to keep your lawn ‘health and protected over the colder months’. Gardening expert Grass Gains took to TikTok to explain them all..
“Keep your lawn debris free, moving, removing leaves or twigs,” the ace said. “Secondly, aerating is very beneficial. Try and get some kill dry sand in there, just to help break up any clay soil – especially in a new build [house].”
The gardening pro then stressed the importance of keeping the nutrients in your lawn through ‘liquid feedings’. “[They’re] very goof for winter,” he added. “If you haven’t done any sort of feeding, then put a granular on now – before it gets too cold, just to make sure it gets activated.”
Want big news with big heart? Get the top headlines sent straight to your inbox with our Daily Newsletter
There are also several gardening jobs you want to avoid during the colder months, including turning your compost. This can risk harming wildlife – such as hedgehogs – which use our gardens as a safe haven to hibernate away form the freezing temperatures.
Experts over at Threehugger, a sustainable gardening brand, have also urged all gardeners to avoid using fertilizer until at least a couple of months’ time. “This is a time for garden plants to go dormant and rest,” they said. “Forcing them to start new growth before the ground warms in the spring not only interrupts this period when they are rejuvenating but ice storms and temperatures below freezing or even hard frosts will kill tender new growth.”
Luckily, most fertilisers have a long shelf-life and so won’t go to waste if they’re not used during the winter. Always read the instructions on the bottle, but the majority of fertilisers should be kept in a cool, dry location, preferably away from children and pets.
Do you have a story to share? Email us at yourmirror@mirror.co.uk for a chance to be featured
Get email updates with the day’s biggest stories