How to Maintain Your Lawn

Lawn Maintenance

A beautiful lawn significantly increases your property value. To protect this valuable asset, proper lawn maintenance is a must.
The most common mistake is not adhering to the one-inch per week watering rule. You should be overseeding and fertilizing your healthy lawn every Spring and Fall as to keep it lush and healthy. Weeds cannot invade a healthy lush lawn, it can only establish if your lawn has undergone stressed conditions which is a result of improper maintenance. follow the procedures below to ensure your lawn remains healthy.

Mowing

Mow often, but remove no more than 1/3 of the grass height at a time. Always keep mower blades sharp and the mower engine tuned. Electric or battery-powered mowers are a great option for the environment…or for a workout try a push mower (great to build “sweat equity” and lower emissions).
This will provide a cleaner cut and a well-tuned engine produces fewer emissions. Mow more frequently during peak growing seasons.

Watering

Infrequent deep watering trains the roots to look for water deep in the ground which results in a drought-tolerant lawn.

One inch per week as per Agriculture Canada. *depending on the soil structure and conditions.

Make sure to follow and obey you local watering restriction when posted.

Fertilization

An annual fertilizing program is important in the development of a lush, thick, green, and healthy lawn. Begin feeding the lawn with the first mowing of the year. Follow-up every 6-8 weeks as needed (approximately 4 times a year).

Feed your lawn in late spring, early summer, and at the beginning and end of the fall season. Fertilizer may be applied using a rotary or drop spreader.

Top Dressing & Overseeding

Top dressing your lawn will enhance its appearance, stimulate new grass grown, improve drainage and wear and tear and reduce thatch. Top dressing can be done at any time but is probably best done in Spring or Autumn when the ground isn’t too dry.

Optimal Steps to Topdressing and Overseeding your lawn:

1) Mow the lawn on a low setting.

2) Aerate the lawn using an aerator. This machine will make holes up to six inches deep in your lawn and will deposit the plugs on the lawn surface.

3) Dethatch the lawn and plugs using a power rake or vigorously rake it by hand. This method will save the removal of the soil plugs. Remove the dead grass and thatch.

4) Apply the tufturf Top Dress sand ensuring that you fill the holes using a rake or a stiff broom. This prevents the holes from closing up and promotes a perculation effect that will allow air, water and nutrients to permeate deep into the root zone.

5) Apply tufturf turf starter fertilizer using a hand spreader ensuring even coverage.

6) Apply turfturf overseed mix using a hand spreader, roll out the newly applied seed using a roller fully filled with water.

7) Gently water in and follow a schedule of watering that will keep the lawn moist but not too wet.

Once the grass has re-generated and you are ready to give it the first mowing, then cut your watering to ONE inch per week. Measure it and time it, as that will train the roots to look for water deep in the ground.