COLD COMFORT

YOUR GRASS WILL BE SO MUCH GREENER WHEN IT WARMS UP AGAIN IF YOU TACKLE THESE WINTER TASKS

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You've put your mower in for a service because you know you won't be using it over the next couple of months. But, winter is a time to prepare and defend your lawn. So venture out a couple of times during the big chill to make sure that come spring, it's as luscious as it possibly can be.

FROST DAMAGE

Pretty as it is, frost can be bad news for lawns if you don't take care.

• Frost causes moisture inside the grass blades to freeze and expand, rupturing cell walls.

• If you know frosts are on their way, avoid mowing and be sure to water your lawn deeply the evening before. This water will evaporate overnight, giving the blades a bit of warmth to stop them freezing.

• On the morning of the frost, avoid walking on your lawn and further damaging the cell walls. Wait until the sun has melted the frost before venturing onto it.

• Wait at least a month after the last frost before you apply fertiliser.

1 LOOK BUT DON'T TOUCH

Most lawns recover from frosts, but walking or driving on a frosted lawn snaps the blades and causes impacted areas to die and go brown.

2 BEING HARDY HELPS