Daytona lawn care can be difficult through the winter and fall, as certain types of grass have the fortitude to grow throughout, while others are stunted by the cooler temperatures and otherwise changing conditions.
Whether or not you want your lawn to be green throughout the year will help determine what type of tasks you need to do in early fall. If you’re ok with a break from a green lawn and the almost weekly maintenance that comes with it, then there are steps you can take to make sure your lawn comes back thriving in the spring. If you want that green lawn throughout the year, we can help with that too.
Tips for Green Grass Through the Fall and Winter
One of the beauties of living in the Daytona region is that, with a little extra work, you can have a lawn that stays green for most of the year. This requires a little extra maintenance on your part, but it’s relatively simple. What keeps Daytona lawns green well into the winter is the practice of overseeding and continuing regular maintenance along with it. Following these steps will keep your lawn lush well into the winter, if not for all of it.
Overseed your lawn with ryegrass
Perennial ryegrass is a type of grass best suited to the colder regions of the country in the spring or summer, but in the winter of hotter regions, this grass can help bridge your lawn from one season to the other. While the warm season grasses that come naturally to Florida die out, your ryegrass will come in with a new layer of green. When the southern heat comes back, these grasses will die out just in time for your natural Daytona grasses to grow back. If you want to go this route, the best time to plant is between mid-October and mid-November.
Apply pre-emergent herbicides in mid-October
If you want to keep your lawn care ahead of the game and attempt to avoid weeds throughout the winter, pre-emergent herbicides are an option, but they must be applied at the right time and in the right quantity. October is the best time to do this, as it’s just before germinating season for winter weeds, but be careful to make sure that your winter grasses have set in before you do this. Using too much pre-emergent herbicide can cause stunted roots, and this risk is greater if your grass is closer to infancy.
Reduce mowing frequency
Reducing how much you mow is critical to how lush your lawn stays. Even with cold-climate grasses in place, the growth of your lawn tends to slow with cooling temperatures.
Water as needed
With your lawn absorbing less water, and the roots freezing altogether at times, there will be less need to water. If you start to see inconsistency in color, then that could indicate it’s time to water your grass. It’s best to do this lawn care task during mid-day when the soil is at its most absorbent.
Watch out for lawn pests and disease
A number of pests and diseases come alive in the fall or simply don’t die off with colder weather. There are a number of possibilities here, but the most important thing is to remember to get out in front of these problems and make sure that whatever insecticides, or other measures you take, won’t kill your ryegrass as well.
Call the Lawn Care Experts at Liquid Lawn!
If you have further questions about your Daytona lawn care and the winter growing process, or you simply want to put the work into someone else’s hands, then don’t hesitate to call the experts at Liquid Lawn to join one of our yearly maintenance plans!