Grass cut low is the best way to maintain your lawn during the harsh winter temperatures and conditions. Starting at the end of fall and the very beginning of winter, you want to gradually cut your grass shorter and shorter to curb extra growth at the beginning of the season. This growth can use up nutrients stored in the blade during fall and dry out the roots. Dry roots in winter mean dead grass come spring. Do not drastically change the height of your lawn, because this can do damage to the blades and damage or destroy the grass, which means you will have to reseed come spring. Over four or five mows, drop the cutter height a little each time to give your lawn a low cut.

If you didn't winterize your lawn mower in the fall, it's not too late to spruce it up before the mowing season begins again. Maintaining a properly functioning lawn mower and sharp mower blades will ensure an even cut yard every time, which helps with disease prevention and improves the overall appearance of your lawn. Read over your lawn mowers maintenance book so you can make sure your lawn mower is ready to go when spring arrives.

Don't forgo lawn maintenance just because your grass grows slower in the winter. Make sure you maintain the upkeep of your lawn by moving any late, falling leaves, rotting stumps, logs, debris and seasonal yard decorations from your yard. If snow falls on these items, it creates a air-tight blanket that smothers your yard and does major damage to both the blades of grass and the roots of your lawn.

Moving the debris from your yard allows the grass to breathe and undergo photosynthesis. Although the major growth of your lawn will happen in the fall and spring, the early months of winter are when your grass ramps down into a more dormant state. That being said, grass still needs sunlight to stay healthy during the harsher conditions.

Lawns enter a semi-dormant state and slow growth during the winter so they can keep nutrients intact and make it through the season.

Applying a fertilizer during the winter will allow the grass to absorb and maintain slight growth throughout the season. When applying fertilizer in the winter, leave it to the professionals. You do not want to get your yard into a growth cycle by mistake, because that will ultimately kill your grass. We evenly distribute fertilizer over your lawn so the grass can absorb the nutrients into the root system and store them for winter.

While many lawns and trees go dormant and require less attention in the winter, it is a perfect time to plan for their year-round care. Winter is a perfect time to trim trees and shrubs. Yards require maintenance year-round, but taking the time to undertake some simple precautions can mean the difference between keeping your lawn healthy in the winter or killing your grass and setting up frustration and hard work for spring.