Wow! Hard to believe it’s September 1st already. Where has the summer gone? Many people are also wondering where their nice green lawn from the spring disappeared to. Some have a few brown spots while others have lost large areas or most of the lawn. With the hot, dry summer we had here in Southern Ontario this year, it really brought home the point that to keep your lawn looking good all year it takes constant care. There are many examples driving down the street of a lush green lawn next to a weed bed or brown savannah. The difference – a good lawn care program. Many factors contribute to this and have been covered in previous blogs so just a quick summary here:
- Mowing to short. Low mowing favours the growth of weeds and insect infestations. Keep lawn cut at 3” to 3 ¼” and never remove more than 1/3 of the length at any single mowing.
- Not aerating. Aeration relieves soil compaction and improves moisture and air movement in the soil to aid in root development.
- Lake of thatch control. Thatch is a layer of organic material just above the soil surface and helps regulate the soil temperature.
- Proper irrigation. The right amount of water at the right time (this can be done with a garden hose and sprinkler)
- Lack of overseeding. Overseeding thickens the lawn and repairs damage done by insects, weeds and drought.
- Lack of a good organic fertilizer program. This will keep the nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) content of the soil in balance.
If your lawn has suffered this summer, it’s not to late to start a recovery for spring. For the next 5 weeks we will be aerating and overseeding. There is still one fertilizer application left at the end of September. Start now to prepare your lawn for spring – contact us for a quote.