Tennessee Winters: Caring for Your Lawn After Heavy Rainfall
If you’ve lived in Nashville long enough, you know winter can get pretty unpredictable around here, like Tennessee drivers when it snows. Just think about the past few weeks: we’ve had below-freezing temperatures, snow, heavy rainfall, warm sunshine, and ice. And while winter’s unpredictability can affect your own weekend plans, it can make an even bigger impact on your lawn.
One of winter’s most common culprits for damaged lawns in Tennessee is the heavy rainfall we get this time of year. Thankfully, as a local lawn care company with over 40 years of deep roots in Nashville, we’ve learned a thing or two about how to care for your lawn properly after all that rain. Here are our best tips to keep great green grass even in wet winter weather.
After It Rains
Keep Your Mower (and Your Feet) Off the Lawn
You may think it’s a good idea to mow after the rain to keep the grass from getting too high. Here’s the deal—it’s not. With soft, wet ground, the weight of your mower will compact the soil. Compact soil will unfortunately cause your grass to die and turn brown. You’re also likely to create unsightly mower ruts in your lawn as well. It’s best to just leave your mower in the garage until the grass dries.
Similar to the mower, walking on your wet lawn after a rainstorm should be avoided, too. Not only does walking cause soil compaction, it can damage your grass blades, as they’re less resilient when wet. Take the sidewalk or driveway to get around instead.
Take Note of Pooling Water
After a heavy rain, pay attention to any areas where the lawn is flooded. Once the water recedes, add some topsoil to these areas to level out the ground and prevent future pooling. With a level lawn, you’re aiding your lawn’s water drainage for future rains. Good drainage prevents excess ground moisture and keeps bugs away.
Once Your Lawn Dries
Aerate and Overseed
Even if you keep your mower off the wet grass, there’s still a good chance your soil has compacted from the rain. This means it’s important to aerate your lawn to improve water drainage, allowing future rain to drain properly, reach your grass’s roots, and increase growth.
Aeration should always be paired with overseeding, as this enhances seed germination. New seeds mean new grass growth. This new growth covers damaged or re-soiled patches from the rain and thickens your lawn to prevent future soil compaction or weed invasion.
Fertilize
Rain will often wash out vital nutrients your grass needs to thrive. Fertilizing your lawn afterward replenishes these nutrients and maintains healthy grass. After all, we can’t stay healthy if we’re not getting proper nutrition! But if more rain is in the forecast, wait to fertilize until afterward so it doesn’t wash away again.
Partner with Trusted Local Lawn Care Experts
Though Tennessee’s winters are wet and unpredictable, you can maintain a healthy lawn (and a healthy peace of mind) when you partner with Nashville’s most trusted lawn care experts. At Pure Green, we’ve helped thousands of Middle Tennessee lawns thrive naturally all year round with our lawn care, aeration and seeding, disease control services, and more. If you’re ready for great green grass, even in winter, get a free quote today to get started.