Winter in Georgia: What to Expect from Your Lawn

Wondering why you still need lawn care, even in the winter? Learn what to expect from your lawn with these tips for winter lawn care in Atlanta from the landscaping experts at Simply Green.

Winter in Atlanta: Does It Even Count? 

For the most part, we’re lucky with our winters here in Atlanta. Sure, we’ve had some infamous storms like Snow Jam ‘82, Snowpocalypse 2011, Snowmageddon, and a handful of other freakish weather events, but overall, our winters are generally mild and manageable. However, just because we’re not dealing with major snowfall or extremely low temperatures doesn’t mean winter is all sunshine and roses. We’re not in Florida, after all.

Winter can be a rough time for lawns, as many of the common types of turfgrass used in Atlanta go dormant during the winter. These turfgrasses include Bermuda, Zoysia, St. Augustine, Bahia, and Centipede, so if you have one or more of these in your yard, know that it will require more careful management during the winter months. 

What You Need to Know About Winter Lawn Care

Why does grass go dormant? And what is dormancy, anyway? 

Think of dormancy as hibernation or sleep. Just like humans need to rest every day, and bears need to hibernate through the cold winter months, your grass needs a period of dormancy to survive freezing weather. 

Dormancy is your grass temporarily “shutting down” to conserve energy, water, and nutrients. During this time, it turns brown, and it’s much more vulnerable. While summer lawns can generally handle a good amount of foot traffic without sustaining much damage, winter lawns are not able to spring back as easily. This is especially true when there’s frost on the grass. 

How to protect your lawn during the the winter

• Avoid walking on it as much as possible, especially in the morning when there’s a layer of frost making it extra fragile. If you must let kids and animals run around on the lawn, wait until the frost has melted for the day. 
• Don’t overwater it. Your lawn still needs water to survive during the winter, but it can’t absorb (or evaporate) nearly as much as it does during the hot summer months. Adjust your sprinkler system accordingly to save water and only give your yard a light watering once a week. 
• Keep grass clear of leaves, sticks, and other dead plant matter. Removing plant debris from your yard doesn’t just look better, it also protects your grass from suffocation, shade damage, and diseases. 

Looking for an Atlanta lawn care company focused on giving you the healthy, beautiful, lush lawn you’ve always wanted? Give us a call at 770-923-0387 to get an estimate or schedule your lawn treatment.