Four Secrets To A Perfect Lawn

Four Secrets to a Perfect Lawn

by

Earl Branche

Bald spots, out of control weeds and sod hungry pests are the eternal problems of the lawn owner. It can sometimes feel like fighting an uphill battle with little reward to show for all the hard work. Fortunately, the most effective lawn care is not time consuming. Achieving a picture perfect landscape simply requires following a few basic lawn maintenance rules.

Know When to Feed

Dosing the lawn with the proper food at the correct time of year is the first step to a lush, beautiful lawn. Most types of grass undergo a dormant period during the cooler months. Feeding the lawn just as the grass is going into dormancy for the winter promotes unhealthy growth. A lawn with weak growth is likely to die off during a cold winter. Feeding the grass with corn gluten meal in the early spring provides needed nutrients to the roots and also prevents the growth of weed seeds. Additional feedings of grass clippings or rich compost will give the lawn the gentle nutrition it needs through the hot months of summer.

Cut With Care

It is always important to remember that a lawn is a living organism. The health of the lawn is tied up with the nutrition it receives from the roots and the energy it gathers from the sun. Cutting a lawn down too close to the ground will seriously stress the plants. A healthy lawn needs at least three inches of blade above the ground to take in the full benefits of photosynthesis. Mowing the grass any shorter than this will weaken the plants and leave them susceptible to damage.

Water Awareness

One of the most common mistakes made by lawn owners is improper watering technique. Plants have evolved to take advantage of natural conditions. A plant in the wild does not have the luxury of enjoying a sprinkler turned on at the same time every day. In nature, moisture comes in the form of dew in the very early mornings. Plants have pores that open wide to receive this morning watering and then close very tightly to avoid losing water to the hot afternoon sun. Watering grass any other time of day is futile at best. Watering at night can actually cause great harm to the lawn as it leaves the area damp, a condition that is ripe for pests and disease.

Healthy roots translate into a healthy lawn. Watering the lawn very deeply twice a week makes the roots grow strong. Giving the lawn frequent, light waterings encourages the roots to remain close to the surface of the soil. Deeper roots make the plant stronger.

Health is the Best Pest Control

There is no need to add chemical pesticides to a lawn to stave off insect predators. Keeping up the health of the lawn is the best defense against pests. Chemical pesticides add harmful compounds into the ecosystem. Following the methods outlined above will ensure the lawn stays healthy all year. A healthy lawn will crowd out weeds and be unattractive to pests and diseases of all types.

When your lawn is starting to look a little brown. Call

Northern Rainmakers

365 Wilson Avenue, Toronto, ON M3H 1T3 (647) 347-1408 to get a new sprinkler system installed to keep your lawn green all year.

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