Lawn Myths Busted
Myth #1: The best time of day to water is in the evening.
Fact: Evening watering will promote insects and disease in the lawn. The best time to water is early morning, between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.
Myth #2: Grass should be kept short.
Fact: Grass should be cut no shorter than 2-3 inches. Never let the grass grow to more than an inch above the regular cutting height before mowing it again. Most lawn mowers can be adjusted accordingly. Generally, grass needs to be cut more often in the spring and fall, and less frequently during the summer when there is little rainfall.
Garden Problems Solved
Problem #1. Weeds/crabgrass. Manually pulling weeds, although effective, is labour intensive and can seem like a lost cause when dealing with large areas.
Solution: Try a herbicide application to control infestation.
Problem #2. Thinning grass. It’s likely the soil has compacted, leaving no nooks and crannies for water and nutrients to gather in or roots to grow into.
Solution: The first step is core aeration: mechanically piercing the soil and removing plugs of turf and soil from the lawn. This opens up the soil, reducing compaction and improving water infiltration and rooting. New topsoil and reseeding could also be required if the lawn is in really poor shape. DIY-ers can buy or rent aerators and dethatchers, or call a professional.
Problem #3. Insect damage. Don’t take all the blame for the poor shape of your lawn.
Solution: Some bugs help your garden flourish, while others wreak havoc by feeding on vegetation in your yard. Determine what type of bug you're dealing with, then remove what they're after or encourage their natural predators into the space. Try using homemade or environmentally safe baits and pesticides to repel them. If all else fails, call in a professional to quickly determine how to control your situation.
Problem #4. Drought. If you’re not careful, your lawn can easily become dehydrated.
Solution: All lawns, in the sun or the shade, require 1-1/2 inches of water or rain weekly. The best (and, unfortunately, most costly) solution is to invest in an underground sprinkling system that never lets you forget to water the grass. You can also rig up hoses to an automatic timer.
Special thanks to Tracy Price from Weed Man, Brockville, Ont. Find your local Weed Man at weed-man.com.
