You may think that your lawn is essentially a mass patch of a single type of plant
. However, you will actually find that your lawn consists of a number of different varieties of plants and grasses. The reality of this is that you should really treat each plant as an individual but this is impractical where lawns are concerned and so any thing you do to a lawn is really a compromise.
In order to ensure that your lawn looks its best next Spring and Summer you really need to start the preparation in the previous Autumn season. You will have probably got into a routine of mowing over the Summer and that routine should be maintained until you can't see any visible signs of growth. If you tend to cut your lawn quite short in Summer it may be worth lengthening the cut as you approach the end of the season. Aim for the grass blades to be about two inches long by the time you stop mowing for the year.
Two inches really is the optimal height for your lawn to be over the Winter period. Any shorter than this and it may dry out as Winter time tends to be a time of lower rainfall. Even if it does rain, you may find that frosts have frozen the ground solid meaning that the rain water will not be absorbed to the roots. If you leave your grass any longer than two inches then it could tend to lean over on itself which could mean it will retain too much moisture leading to the promotion of mold and moss growth.
Keep your lawn free of debris too. Fallen leaves should be raked away regularly, even through the Winter as snow melts etc. This is to prevent them piling up and stealing any moisture that would be better utilised by your lawn if it gets chance.
Another thing you need to ensure that you do before the Winter sets in is edge your lawn. This is because even though the grass blades themselves have stopped growing, the roots have not and they will tend to invade your flower beds if you don't edge the lawn properly. Speaking of root growth, this is also the time to add some fertiliser to your lawn to encourage this growth as this is where your lush new lawn will sprout from next Spring.
Finally, make sure you thoroughly clean and service your lawn mower before you store it away for the Winter. You will be thankful you did when it starts up on the first attempt when you make your first cuts next year.