Lawn and Garden: Lawn Centre

Watering Your Garden

In 1928, Scotts Turf Builder® became the foundation for what we know today as the Scotts Annual Lawn Care Program™, which ends with an application of Scotts® Wintercarer™ Fall Lawn Fertilizer just before lawns go dormant for the winter.

All lawns will react to the cooler weather in the fall months by entering a period of dormancy. And annual lawn care programs should include an application of Wintercare in the fall.

But what exactly is Wintercare, and why is it important to the lawn?

Well, winterizing has several benefits. First, it strengthens grass roots for winter. During the fall, grass is actually storing nutrients for the cold weather that is approaching. This is typical of most perennials. Most turfgrasses are perennials, with the exception of a few, like annual ryegrass.

When plants like grass are storing energy, the single most important nutrient at that time is phosphorus. Its key role is in the storage and transfer of energy within the plant and root growth-and that is what grass is doing in the late fall. Phosphorus also promotes strong roots and it helps grass become more tolerant of diseases, heat, cold and drought.

A Wintercare application also has the appropriate amount of nitrogren for the season. Nitrogen is the key ingredient in keeping grass green and lawn grasses use more of it than any other nutrient. Insufficient nitrogen also makes a lawn more prone to disease problems.

Finally, Wintercare has a healthy dose of potassium, which helps to protect the lawn during winter as it promotes tolerance to cold weather and foot traffic, which can severely damage a lawn during extremely cold weather.

Add it all up, and Wintercare has just what lawns need to make it through the winter months and green up faster in the spring.

Check the Scotts Annual Lawn Care Program for the proper time to apply Scotts Wintercare to your lawn.

And if weeds are a problem, then late fall presents the ideal time to get rid of them. Why? Because weeds are actively growing in the fall and weed-control products work best when weeds are actively growing. Second, stopping weed growth now means less weeds to deal with next spring. So if weeds are a problem in your lawn, consider applying Scotts® Wintercare™ with PLUS 2® Weed Control instead. It will feed your lawn while getting rid of those unwanted weeds.

Your Supply List

• Scotts® Wintercare
• Scotts® Wintercare Plus 2
• Scotts® Speedygreen 3000 Spreader

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