Last Updated on November 30, 2025 by Duncan

Winter is a difficult season for lawns, but with good planning, you can ensure that your grass survives the winter months and emerges greener and stronger in the spring.

Taking the proper precautions now can safeguard your lawn from harsh winter conditions and lay the groundwork for a lush, healthy yard when the warmer weather returns.

Are you wondering how to help your lawn in winter? Well, there are several ways you can go about it, with the common ones being:

Fertilize your lawn in late fall.

It’s wise that you fertilize your lawn in late fall, but before you do, you should undertake a soil test. Testing the soil is an essential step in assessing your lawn’s overall health. Soil pH and nutrient levels directly affect how well your lawn absorbs fall treatments.

A simple soil test is bound to reveal whether your lawn is low in key nutrients and help you plan your fertilizer strategy for a healthy start in the coming spring.

Soil test findings are critical because they provide a roadmap for adequate fertilizing. They tell precisely what inputs are required by identifying current levels of:

• N-P-K (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) micronutrients.
• Organic matter
• pH

Perform a soil test to determine the best fall lawn fertilizer for your grass. It is critical to supplement your soil’s deficiencies, but avoid overfertilization.

Remove leaves and debris.

Fallen leaves, twigs, thatch, and other debris can degrade your lawn’s health and green winter color. Extra debris will:

Block sunlight: Sunlight is essential for grass growth, but garbage can prevent it from reaching the grass.

Encourage disease: Winter debris often remains wet from snow or rain, which can lead to dampness. Lawn diseases, such as snow mold, thrive in humidity.

Reduce airflow: Debris can suffocate grass.

Encourage insects: Pests find shelter in lawn debris over the winter.

The best way to remove leaves and debris from the lawn is to rake them. When raking, avoid being too harsh because this can damage the grass, and you don’t want this. To be on the safe side, follow these guidelines for effective ranking:

• To avoid injuring the grass, do not use excessive force.
• Rake in a single direction to collect leaves efficiently.
• Use a mulching mower as an environmentally friendly option.
• You can compost the leaves or add them to plant beds.

Control the weeds

Aggressive winter weeds can outcompete grass and steal nutrients from your lawn, leaving it brown.

The ideal time to prevent winter weeds is in late summer through October.

To prevent winter annuals from sprouting, apply pre-emergent herbicides when the soil temperature reaches 65 degrees Fahrenheit or 70 degrees Fahrenheit. In the early winter, hand-pull any visible weeds.

Be strategic with your mowing.

The final mowing of the season is crucial for preparing winter grass. During the last cut, keep the grass between 2.5 and 3 inches high. Cutting the grass too short exposes it to cold stress, whilst allowing it to grow too long invites snow mold.

This height is excellent for lowering disease risk and allowing the grass to conserve energy for the winter.

For the best outcome, mow the lawn one more time before the ground freezes, usually in late September. After the final mow, sweep up the clippings and leave the grass neat to avoid the chance of mold formation throughout the winter.

Water your lawn appropriately.

In the late winter, with low humidity and wind, the turfgrass will benefit from irrigation, but be careful not to overwater.

The biggest mistake many homeowners make in winter lawn care is watering their lawn too heavily.

Follow these recommendations to keep your lawn properly hydrated in winter:

Warm-season grass: In the winter, warm-season grass lawns are dormant and require little water. Overwatering your warm-season grass can lead to large patches or root rot. When temperatures fall below 70 degrees Fahrenheit, water your lawn only during droughts.

Cool-season grass: If the temperature is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit and the ground is clear of snow and ice, watering your lawn in the winter can help in dry conditions. In months with minimal rain, once or twice a month is enough.

You should expect to water overseeded lawns in dry winter conditions: Dormant grass doesn’t need a whole lot of water, but if it’s overseeded in green (ryegrass), then the grass is actually alive, and it needs some water.

Protect your lawn from snow damage.

Snow mold is a common problem in lawns that are not well prepared for winter. To minimize snow mold, be sure to rake up leaves and trash and cut the grass at the right height.

Snow mold develops when snow remains on long, wet grass for too long; therefore, adequate mowing and raking are required.

You should avoid heavy traffic on frozen grass. Grass is often harmed when it freezes, so try to reduce foot traffic on the lawn during the winter. Walking on frozen grass can damage grass blades, leaving bare patches in the spring. And you don’t want this, do you?

Add lawn amendments

Soil additions can help keep your grass healthy during the winter while also preparing it for spring.

Apply lime in the fall to minimize soil acidity. If you are late in your application, put it late in the winter. The freeze-thaw cycles of winter naturally push lime into the soil.

When soil temperatures dip below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, warm-season grass becomes dormant, resulting in color loss. Dormancy cannot be reversed; however, you can use grass paint to hide it temporarily.

If you are in the Northeast, North Central (U.S.), or Northwest, where winters are relatively cold…there is not much you can do to keep grass green unless you paint it green.

However, in areas where temperatures remain above freezing, cool-season grasses may remain green and alive throughout the winter.