This spring, score points with your neighbours by following a few lawn-care rules from Mike House, general manager of Nutri-Lawn Calgary.
CLEAR THE FIELD
“Give your lawn a good raking as soon as it’s dry enough to walk on,” suggests House. “Remove the debris, stand the grass up and let the oxygen circulate through it.”
KEEP AN EYE OUT
Look for patches damaged by ice, matted leaves and moles—those little critters having been running amuck under snow cover for months, noshing on your grass. House notes, “As the grass starts to green up, the areas that aren’t coming back will become evident.”
GO ON THE OFFENSIVE
Repair damage by over-seeding (sprinkling grass seed) and topdressing, done by applying a thin layer of composted topsoil—which has no weeds—over the seeds. “The key to successful seeding is to get the seed in contact with some soil,” says House. “If you just throw seed on top of dead grass it won’t germinate.” Nutri-Lawn does slitseeding, which cuts vertical slices into the lawn and drops the seed right in.
HIT IT WITH FERTILIZER
A slow-release product is best. “You don’t want a lot of quick-release nitrogen that’s going to cause the grass to grow fast. That’s stressful on the turf and you have to cut it more frequently.”
+ AMARewards: Members earn 10% in reward dollars on Nutri-Lawn services.