That’s what we are…winterizer-ers. We officially winterized our yard with help from True Value.
And we lived to tell the tale.
You may remember our DIY to-do list not including any exterior projects. Well, we added it because we realized that we could save big bucks by doing it ourselves (vs. paying a lawn company to come winterize it for us). All we had to do was invest in one spreader:
and then every year we would get some winterizer for the cold months and some fertilizer for the spring. We will also have to reseed at that time (which will also use the spreader). But in the grand scheme of things we would save a couple hundred a year by not paying a big lawn care company to take care of the grass.
The process couldn’t have been simpler. First we mowed the lawn one last time before winter. (yes, when I say “we” I mean I did my part by breastfeeding the baby while Jeremy did the lawn…now tell me which is easier…I dare ya). Then WE read the directions on the Scotts brand Winterguard. They told us everything we needed to know.
First we adjusted the spreader to the 3.5 point setting. This little dial determines how much stuff gets spewed out. I called it the spew-meter. Yes, sometimes I like to make non-disgusting things sound gross. you know…for fun.
Then we poured some winterizer granules into the bucket.
The first thing we decided to do was the edges…so we flipped the edgeguard on.
Then Jeremy just walked around the edge of the sod as the spreader did it’s thang.
See the edge guard? It really works.
After he went around the entire yard, he flipped off the guard and pretended like he was mowing – back and forth till the entire lawn was treated.
Now that our yard is treated, I can barely wait for spring. Winterizing is supposed to help minimize spring weeds, help our bermuda sod fill in since we had some dead patches that Jeremy resodded, and assist in creating a healthy lawn come spring.
So have you done any lawn winter prep? Maybe you are in an area that is already getting snow? Anyone else tackled winterizer? Or maybe you use your spreader for a different purpose…like reseeding? Spew it 🙂
“I was one of the bloggers selected by True Value to work on the DIY Squad. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program as well as my writing about my experience. I have also been compensated for the materials needed for my DIY project. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.”
hi! I love your blog and check it all the time – and learned about you guys from Young House Love 🙂 I’m sure this is on your site somewhere but I just can’t seem to find it – would you be able to tell me the color of paint you used in your dining room and in your living room (the room with the white fireplace mantle?) Thanks!
Hi Joya! It’s in our source list – under the house tour tab 🙂 And it’s called Dusty Trail by Olympic.
xo – kb
While sitting on the couch on Sunday, my fiance and I overheard our neighbors say they were winterizing (he was on a latter fiddling with his gutter). We both looked at each other with our jowls filled with pumpkin muffins full of chocolate chips and agreed that the only ‘winterizing’ we will be doing this year is to our bellies.
Thanks for the tip! I’ve never heard of winterizing…might have to look further into this. We have a small yard and have a hand held spreader and we used it to over-seed this fall. Our neighbor told us that he plants rye grass in the winter so he continues to have a green lawn through the cold months and it dies off in the spring just when his regular lawn is turning green, so we might have to try that out this year (plus I’ve read that rye grass is also good for aerating lawns which I understand is a good thing).
Weird, I’ve never heard of “winterizing” a lawn. I guess I’ll blame this on the fact that I live in L.A., so our lawn actually looks BEST (by far) in the winter! I really need more of a “summerizer”(?) to tell the grass to just go dormant in the summer or something so I don’t have to spend a fortune running the sprinklers every day (the only way to keep it all from dying). heh.
From one BFing mom to another… I think the spew-meter could work for that job too… ha!
Yes Karrie – aerating is a very good thing! Actually we looked into doing this to our own yard…but we found out that in our climate zone, with the type of grass we have, it was recommended to not do it in the fall, so we will probably tackle aerating in the spring 🙂
xo – kb
I have never heard of winterizing a lawn. When I first started reading I thought you had made up the term! Guess not! I already have 8 inches of snow covering my lawn and it will be around until next April! My lawn will need some major help after that. Once the snow melts it leaves behind lots of dust, dog poo and sometimes trash. Break up is the ugliest time of year in Alaska! And it stinks – literally!!!
I’ve never heard of winterizing a lawn, either. Will you give us an update in the spring as to whether you really noticed a difference?
Absolutely Julianna! I am eager myself to see if it makes a difference!
xo – kb
A tip I learned when applying fertilizer or grass seed with spreader –
add a handful or two of flour to the mix. Makes it easier to see
where you’ve been and where you haven’t.
PS: Love your decorating ideas.
Genius G-ma Pam! Thanks for the tip…we’ll definitely be using that in the spring!
xo – kb
You say you save a lot of $$$ when you do the lawn yourself. How big is your lawn, post-stamp size? My lawn is on 2/3rd acre lot with 940 c.f. house in middle. Just seems I would be spending too much on winterizer & fertilizer in spring, each year, to get it covered. Not to mention reseeding. No saving there. Sometimes I just like the look of a lawn gone wild!
This is just the front yard that we would treat…but we no longer live there. And yes…the grass area was rather small.
xo kb