Lawn Maintenance
If you want your lawn to be perfectly green and weed-free throughout the summer, do your best to limit the areas you devote to grass. The "perfect lawn" requires a great deal more water, care and maintenance than water-efficient plants.
Keep these tips in mind to improve the health of your lawn and decrease its demand for water.
| AERATE | Aerate every other fall to limit soil compaction, increase water absorption, and help to reduce thatch. |
| TOP DRESS | Top dress every spring or fall with compost. Rake into the lawn to a depth of one 1/2 inch. |
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OVERSEED | Overseed every spring or fall with a grass seed high in fescue content (at least 60 per cent) and low in Kentucky Blue content (20 per cent at the most). Fescue grasses are fine blades that are drought tolerant and more disease resistant due to their deep rooting system. Kentucky Blue grass, the only grass found in sod, has the shallowest root system and is therefore the type of seed that is the weakest, most water dependent and most susceptible to disease. |
| MOWING HEIGHT | Cut your lawn at a height of 6 cm to 7.5 cm to shade roots and prevent weed seed germination. Also keep blades sharp to maintain grass health. |
| FERTILIZE | Fertilize every fall with compost to give your lawn the full spectrum of micro and macro nutrients it needs. This extra boost will help your lawn to make it through the winter. *Note: although recommended by many, spring fertilization is not necessary to maintain the health of your lawn. |
Follow these watering tips for a healthy lawn and garden
- Use a watering gauge to measure the amount of water that is applied to your lawn and garden through rainfall and watering
- Water once a week to encourage deep, strong root growth and ensure that your lawn can better cope with the hot, dry weather of summer ONLY if there hasn't been a significant amount of rainfall
- Water your grass in the early morning when the sun is lowest; watering while the sun is low ensures that water gets to the roots instead of evaporating before it reaches the ground
- Avoid evening or overnight watering as this creates cool, moist conditions on the ground and leaves. These conditions can lead to problems with disease and insects.
- Use a water-efficient sprinkler that shoots low to the ground; oscillating sprinklers lose more water to evaporation and wind drift - even before the water hits the lawn - so choose a whirly-gig sprinkler if possible and water when it is not windy.
- Consider using a rain barrel as a source of water for your flowers and vegetables rather than tap water; for more information, please click here.
- Check with your municipality on watering restrictions; for information on watering in your area, please see the Municipal Summer Water Conservation By-Law section.
