How to Prepare Your Lawn for Winter in Tennessee (Step-by-Step Timeline)
Begin winterizing your Tennessee lawn in early to mid September (6 to 8 weeks prior to the estimated first frost)․ This gives your cool season grass time to build new root growth and store energy before winter arrives․ If you wait till November‚ you’re basically doing cleanup work‚ because that window of growth has passed․
Here’s what really matters‚ in the order you should do it․
First‚ Know What Kind of Grass You Have
While it sounds simple‚ this is a huge deal․ Tennessee is in the ““transition zone”” of the United States․ Both cool-season grasses (tall fescue‚ fine fescue‚ Kentucky bluegrass) and warm-season grasses (bermuda‚ zoysia) are grown in Tennessee and sometimes on the same street․
The majority of Middle and East Tennessee lawns use cool-season grass which prefer fall care‚ as their main growing season is in the 60s․ In West Tennessee and the southern part of the state‚ warm-season lawns are entering dormancy․ A good cleanup and protection is worth it‚ but your goal here is not to stimulate new growth‚ but to help them go dormant cleanly and be ready to jump back to life in April․
You can tell the difference by looking at their blade width and color: fescue stays green until the end of November․ Bermuda and zoysia begin to turn by mid-October‚ even on warm days‚ because they respond to short days rather than frost as fescue does․
1․ Clean Up the Yard Thoroughly
Remove fallen leaves‚ twigs and matted grass clippings that may smother the lawn underneath․ Leaving a thick mat of damp leaves to amass over the winter creates a perfect incubator for snow mold and other fungal disorders‚ which appear in the spring as gray or pink patches when the snow melts․ Don’t wait until all the leaves have fallen from every tree; make a pass every week or two in October and November and do the heavy cleanup in December․
2․ Gradually Adjust Your Mowing Height
Don’t scalp your lawn before winter․ For fescue‚ during the last three or four mows of the season‚ gradually reduce the height to between 2․5 and 3 inches high․ If your lawn grows Bermuda or zoysia‚ you might be able to go just a bit lower‚ to about 1․5 to 2 inches‚ as these grasses go dormant and shorter grass will mat down less under snow or ice․
Keep mowing throughout the grass-growing season‚ which in Tennessee often extends into November for fescue lawns․ Stopping too early can lead to a shaggy lawn when the grass needs the most air․
3․ Aerate While the Soil Is Still Workable
Tennessee clay lawns have a tendency to be compacted easily‚ especially in yards receiving heavy foot traffic and in attractive neighborhoods that also receive enormous amounts of rain․ Core aeration‚ which involves taking plugs of soil out of the lawn’s root zone‚ helps to increase the depth of water‚ air‚ and nutrients․ For a cool-season lawn‚ September through early October is best‚ because aeration combined with overseeding puts the seed immediately in contact with soil‚ and this is when germination will be at its highest․ Warm-season lawns should be aerated in late summer‚ before the annual fall slowdown․
4․ Fertilize for the Fall Season
Do not apply the high-nitrogen fertilizer you applied in spring․ Lawns need potassium in fall to strengthen cell walls and improve cold-hardiness․ If you fertilize‚ use a bagged fall fertilizer with a higher third number (potassium) than first number (nitrogen) such as 10-10-20․ Fertilize in late October to early November‚ when shoots and foliage are dying back and energy is being stored below ground‚ not when fescue is actively growing․
5․ Overseed Bare and Thin Spots
If a fescue lawn thins out due to heat/drought stress during the summer (a very real problem for a lawn in Tennessee in July)‚ overseeding in early to mid-fall is preferable when compared to spring overseeding‚ since there usually are fewer opportunities for weed seeds to germinate in the fall․ Also‚ if the soil temperature is warm enough for germination‚ a turf-type tall fescue blend for the Southeastern U․S․ can also be raked into the soil to a depth of a quarter inch․ It should be kept lightly and frequently moist (the seed bed should feel damp to the touch) until germination in two to three weeks․
Bermuda and zoysia lawns are not overseeded in the fall unless ryegrass is overseeded for winter color‚ which is a matter of landscaping choice rather than necessity․
6․ Grubs and Weeds Should Be Treated Before Dormancy
Grub damage is often confused with spongy areas of discolored grass․ Signs of infestation cannot be corrected until spring․ Insecticide should be applied in the fall if damage was clear the previous summer‚ when grubs are still near the turf surface feeding on roots․ Also pull or treat any broadleaf weeds (for example‚ dandelion‚ clover) still around․ These broadleaf weeds are storing energy for next year’s growth․ In fact‚ fall is a more effective time to treat perennial weeds with herbicide than spring․
7․ Water Deeply Until the Ground Freezes
Tennessee winters are rarely severely cold․ Dry conditions‚ however‚ in combination with wind can dry out grass roots even in December․ Water until the ground freezes to a depth of several inches․ Aim for 1 inch of moisture from rain or irrigation weekly․
8․ Winterize Your Mowers and Equipment
Have the lawn mowers‚ trimmers‚ blowers and other small engines drained or stabilized․ Ethanol fuel left unattended all winter can gum up the carburetor‚ which isn’t the kind of bill you want in March․ Remove grass from the mower deck and store all mower parts in a dry location․
9․ Be Smart About Snow and Ice
Don’t throw piles of shoveled snow into thick mounds on the lawn‚ which allows snow to take longer to melt‚ kills grass underneath‚ and promotes mold growth․ Spread it out where you can․ Don’t walk on frozen or frost-covered grass․ The grass blades break off easily in the cold and die in patches․
10․ Protect New or Vulnerable Areas
If you planted plugs‚ sod or ground covers (like Pennsylvania sedge for shady areas and transitional areas)‚ it helps to add a thin layer of straw mulch or frost cover to protect the roots from first winter freeze․ This will happen once the roots in your new plantings are frozen․ TN Nursery’s sedge plugs and native grasses are acclimatized to their natural environment‚ giving new plants a real head start with Tennessee’s freeze-thaw cycle․
Do these steps in order‚ on something close to this timeline‚ and your lawn won’t just survive winter‚ it’ll"
