The silvery morning frost followed by colder, shorter days, and peppered with an occasional snowfall signals the advent of the cold Pennsylvania winter spells that lie ahead. As a true garden lover, you see yourself protecting your lawn from the harsh mid-Atlantic winter months. Here are some winter lawn care tips from lawn experts to help you keep your lawn ready this winter.

It’s fall, a season when trees shed their leaves for the winter, and the wind blows them all over your beautiful lawn! Let’s try and answer a question you may have right now – Should you rake the leaves off your beautiful green grass, or do you let them stay?

h2How Safe is your Lawn this Winter? 

Is your lawn safe from rodents and other pests in the winter? While many animals might choose to hibernate in the cold, some others stay active, hungry, and ready to wreak havoc in your beautiful lawn. Meadow voles, moles, and gophers are a few such pests that can destroy parts or the entire lawn if not stopped in time. However, there are tell-tale signs that they leave behind that can help you identify the culprits and remove them from your yard. 

Keeping a lawn looking healthy and green is no easy task. You know that and have done everything to ensure that it looks its best. But if you see patchy grass, lawn moss, or lots of weeds cropping up in your lawn, chances are that it needs some lime. “What is lime?” you ask. Let’s dig a little deep to understand what lime is and how it helps the soil. Get in the know before you decide on adding it as a part of your lawn care regimen.

Brown, barren, or dead spots in your lush green lawn is nature’s way of saying it’s probably time to re-seed. Just like over-seeding helps reestablish grass in the thinning lawn, re-seeding helps to grow new grass in areas that are bare. 

Whether you are spending a warm night on the patio in the backyard or going on another camping trip, the one thing you don’t want to spend time with is mosquitoes. There are some things that attract mosquitoes more than others. In fact, they may be attracted to people who have a higher body temperature, a stronger body odor, or a higher amount of sweat. Yet, there are also environmental factors that may bring them into your space, too. Consider what you need to know about mosquito control.

When temperatures are warm and you have extra time, such as at the end of summer, you may be tempted to do some hard work on your lawn. That could include seeding it and aerating, both of which could be important steps. However, summer is not the ideal time to do this. Instead, wait until the fall.

Do I Have Them? 

Though they look like (and their name reminds many of) murder hornets, cicada killer wasps are quite different. These are large predator wasps that prey on cicadas. While they are prolific killers of cicadas, they do not create any risk to humans. Still, it may be a good idea to know what they are and what they look like before you start to see them in this area of Pennsylvania.