How to care for your lawn in Kanata – Lawn Care Tips
How to maintain a healthy lawn in seven simple steps
- Seven Simple Steps to a healthy lawn
- Aerate and control thatch
- Improve soil quality by topdressing
- Overseed with drought-tolerant grasses
- Mow frequently and at the correct height
- Fertilize twice a year
- Spot check for weeds and insects
- Irrigate only in special circumstances
Step 1: aerating and thatch control
Aerate in the spring and fall before top dressing or fertilizing.
Aerators can be rented or Kanata Hedges & Lawn Maintenance can provide the service.
Alleviates compacted soil and allows water to penetrate deeper, producing deeper roots.
Creates space in soil for penetration of air, water and nutrients.
Physically breaks up thatch.
A healthy lawn has 1 cm (1/2 inch) of thatch – more than 2.5 cm is too much.
Unhealthy amounts of thatch prevent water and nutrients from reaching roots.
Thatch can harbour insects and diseases.
Use a de-thatching machine or hire a lawn care company.
Step 2 : improving soil quality
Grass grows best in a moist, fertile soil that is not waterlogged.
Sandy soil and heavy clay both need humus to improve the texture.
A deep dense root system is most important to support top growth in grass.
A minimum of 4 in. (10 cm) of soil is needed.
More soil = deeper roots.
Soil samples can be sent for analysis. The results will include levels of phosphorus, potassium, pH and lime.
pH levels are the measurement of acid and alkaline level. The optimum level is between 6.0 and 7.0.
Top dress lawn with good quality top soil (1/4 to 1/2 inch), consisting of loam, peat moss and compost, to improve soil conditions.
Can be combined with overseeding.
Step 3: overseed
Top-dressing and overseeding are ideal opportunities to introduce drought-resistant grass mixes.
Best time is early fall, but can be done in spring if there is winter damage.
Red fescue tolerates shade and drought conditions, requires low-fertility, rows well in the sun, has very fine leaves and spreads by runners.
Perennial rye grass is drought tolerant, prefers full sun, but tolerates shade.
Many perennial rye grasses contain levels of endophytic fungus, which help the roots take up water and nutrients. Hairy chinch bugs, bluegrass billbugs and sod webworms don’t like the taste.
Perennial rye grass retains its green colour very well during mid-summer heat stress.
Step 4: mowing
Mow high: 6 to 8 cm (approx 3 in.).
Keep mower blades sharp.
Mow frequently – cut no more than 1/3 of shoot length.
Leave clippings on the lawn to provide a natural source of nitrogen.
Let Kanata Hedges & Lawn Maintenance take care of your mowing and grass cutting in Kanata and Stittsville.
Step 5: fertilizing
Very important to grass health.
Provides nutrients to out grow weeds.
Use a slow release type of fertilizer, and follow instructions.
Use a spreader for even application.
Consider using organic fertilizers.
Apply a fertilizer specifically formulated for turfgrass. An established lawn with a good root system can seek out phosphorous already in the soil. Kanata Hedges & Lawn Maintenance recommends using a phosphorus-free fertilizer on established turf.
Nitrogen needs to be applied each year.
Phosphorus and potassium are stable in soil.
Late fall fertilization is best to increase fall and spring root growth and also results in an early spring green up.
Promotes a thicker lawn.
Timing is critical – in the fall, the turf has stopped growing above the soil, but the roots are still active.
Follow-up with late May, early June fertilization (consider corn gluten meal and deal with crabgrass at the same time).
Step 6: spot check for weeds and insects
Integrated Pest Management is as good as conventional pest management.
Pull any broadleaf weeds by hand.
Annual weeds: prevent flowering by mowing and/or hand pulling.
Grass weeds: apply a pre-emergent (prevents germination) treatment. Try corn gluten meal Turf Maize.
Perennial rye grass mix will minimize chinch bugs, bluegrass billbugs and sod webworms.
Apply nematode spray for grubs.
Step 7: irrigating
Let a healthy lawn go dormant during extended dry periods. It can survive four to six weeks without adequate water.
Water only during an extreme drought or if lawn is under stress or renovation to begin with. If your lawn is dormant:
Check regularly for insect pests
Keep traffic off
Stop mowing
Do not fertilize
If you do water:
Water deeply: 2.5 cm (one inch).
Water infrequently: Less than once a week.
Water before 10:00 a.m. to avoid evaporation and for best health.
Follow any regional watering restrictions.
Lawn Maintenance
During the spring, summer, and fall, lawn maintenance should be high on your list of priorities.
Whether at home or within a commercial property, a well-maintained lawn is a standout feature. This can make or break a garden’s appearance.
Grass Cutting
A full service lawn care and lawn mowing company based out of Kanata. We specialize in mowing all sizes of lawns on all types of properties. Including private residential, townhomes and homeowner associations and commercial property mowing.
Garden Design
We specialize in the design and construction of new gardens and garden beds. Servicing residential and commercial properties. From helping you choose the perfect plants and flowers to the final construction. We will even provide on-going maintenance of your new garden,
Hedge Trimming
Keep trees, shrubs and hedges looking their best. With healthy new, uniform growth the old dead, and dying branches must be trimmed back. Pruning at least once or twice a year, sometimes more depending on the species of tree or shrub and the weather.
If you live in Kanata or Stittsville and are in need of a top-notch lawn maintenance service near you. Look no further than the lawn care experts at Kanata Hedges & Lawn Maintenance. We offer great lawn care programs that can help keep your Kanata lawn green & healthy.
Wether you need Lawn Maintenance, Grass Cutting, Garden Design or Hedge Trimming in Kanata, we are your friendly professional source.
As a local lawn service company, Kanata Hedges & Lawn Maintenance has helped many Kanata and Stittsville area residents keep their properties in tip-top shape. Ontario’s climate is quite diverse, each season changes from year to year. Kanata Hedges & Lawn Maintenance has the knowledge and expertise to deal with lawn care issues of all sorts. We can help you.
For easy tips on how to care for your lawn in Kanata or Stittsville, read our guide 7 Steps to Lawn Care.