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Guide to building and maintaining a HEALTHY LAWN
Key to a healthy lawn: A steady, nutritious diet
WHY FERTILIZE?
Your body needs nutrients (food) to stay healthy. Without them, you'll get thinner,
more prone to diseases, and wither away. It's the same with grass. Without fertilizer,
the lawn will get thinner, become pressured by diseases and weeds, and eventually
wither. A healthy lawn is important for a number of reasons:
 Lower susceptibility
of weed and insect infestations
Increased oxygen
production
Increased cooling
of surrounding area
Reduce noise
pollution
Healthier soil
Aesthetic appeal
Increased property
value
Lawn fertilizers are made with three main ingredients: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus
(P), and Potassium (K). Three numbers represent these ingredients on the front
of the fertilizer package. For example, 24-4-8 would indicate 24% N, 4% P, and
8% K.
Nitrogen promotes green growth and is the basic building block of protein. A fertilizer
containing controlled-release Nitrogen such as IBDU® or Polyon® will supply
the lawn with a slow constant feeding over a 10-12 week period - longer than any
other lawn fertilizer. This will prevent surge growth and is healthier for the
lawn. Phosphorus stimulates root formation and provides energy for the plant.
Potassium strengthens the plant tissue and increases resistance to diseases and
drought.
HOW TO FERTILIZE
The best way to fertilize your lawn is with a broadcast spreader. It lets you
distribute the fertilizer granules evenly over the entire lawn. If distribution
of the fertilizer is not uniform, you may end up overfeeding some areas, and starving
other areas and this doesn't make for a healthy looking lawn. Use a good spreader
with an accurate flow setting. Fill your spreader on the driveway or sidewalk
(sweep up any spills). Apply the fertilizer in a criss-cross pattern as shown
in the diagram. Use half the rate in each direction. Shut off the spreader when
filling, turning corners or stopping. Wash out the spreader after application.
ALWAYS READ THE LABEL AND FOLLOW ALL PRECAUTIONS BEFORE APPLYING.
WHEN TO FERTILIZE
Your lawn should be fertilized 4 times a year (timing will vary from province
to province):
Early Spring
(April - May)
Early Summer
(June - July)
Late Summer (Aug.
- Sept.)
Fall (Oct. -
Nov.)
EARLY SPRING
First your lawn should be raked and all dead leaves, branches and other garbage
removed. For your first application a regular lawn fertilizer should be used,
such as GOLDEN VIGORO LAWN FOOD 24-4-8 or ULTRA VIGORO LAWN FERTILIZER
28-3-5
CRABGRASS
If your lawn is prone to crabgrass (Ontario only), this is the time to apply VIGORO
CRABGRASS PREVENTER PLUS FERTILIZER with Dimension®. This outstanding
crabgrass control ingredient provides a wider window of application timing than
other products. It lets you control crabgrass at either pre-emergent or early
post-emergent growth stages, up to the 3-leaf stage. Watering in is not required.
This fertilizer will feed your lawn up to 3 months. And provide season-long crabgrass
control!
EARLY SUMMER
If your lawn is healthy, apply another round of your regular lawn fertilizer.
If you have a few broadleaf weeds that are actively growing (like dandelions),
or many weed in a few areas you can apply your regular fertilizer and use a product
such as Lawn WeedOut™. If your lawn has many broadleaf weeds over the entire
lawn, then a fertilizer containing weed control can be applied. Use GOLDEN
VIGORO WEED & FEED 24-4-8 or ULTRA VIGORO WEED & FEED 27-3-5.
Regular lawn fertilizer should not be applied in addition to the weed and feed,
because weed control is carried on fertilizer granules in this mix. You would
be over-fertilizing. After application of a weed and feed DO NOT WATER FOR AT
LEAST 24 HOURS. The weed control must be allowed to sit on the weeds to work properly.
LATE SUMMER
Apply your regular lawn fertilizer. Whatever fertilizer you use, make sure you
water it in. Use at least 1/2" of water (1/2 hour watering) or apply before
rain. This is the time to apply insect control if needed.
GrubOut™ provides excellent control of lawn insects - chinch bugs, white
grubs, and sod webworms. The accurate hose-end applicator mixes product and water
automatically - no measuring, no mixing, simply attach and spray.
These are the most common types of insects and the damage they will cause:
WHITE GRUBS
These are not found on the surface of the lawn, but in the top 3" of the
soil. In the spring you may have noticed parts of your lawn that had been dug
up by animals looking for grubs.
From late July to August a new generation of grubs is hatching and this is the
best time to get rid of these pests.
CHINCH BUGS
In late June to early July you may begin to see small brown patches on your lawn.
Examine these spots by parting the grass down to the soil. Look closely for little
black bugs with a white band on their backs. Although they don't look very dangerous,
they can kill your lawn in about a week.
FALL FERTILIZING
This is the most important application for your lawn. It will increase the winter
hardiness of the grass and provide nutrients, especially potassium, which makes
turf stronger. Use GOLDEN VIGORO FALL FERTILIZER 12-8-16 or VIGORO FALL
LAWN FERTILIZER 6-8-16 and apply from September to November, any time up to
freezing.
Other important tips:
WATERING
Grass needs water to flourish. Without water, it will go dormant and turn yellow.
Most lawns require a minimum of 2.5 cm (1") per week during the summer. In
dry conditions water heavily once per week as opposed to daily sprinkling (daily
sprinkling encourages shallow roots, which will increase the chance of burning
during hot spells).
The best time of day to water is in the morning. If you water at night, there
is more chance of disease and mold invading the grass.
AERATION
This is becoming a very popular practice for home owners. Aerating the lawn removes
little plugs of soil from your lawn. This will decrease the amount of compaction
in the soil and will allow more water and nutrients to get down to the roots.
It will also decrease the amount of thatching in your lawn.
Aeration is highly recommended in new subdivisions because of all the heavy machinery
that has been over the lawn. Older lawns that haven't been aerated within the
last 2 years will also benefit.
You can either rent an aerator or call your local lawn care company to get a price
for the work.
MOWING TIPS
Ensure mower
is sharp to prevent frayed appearance.
Set mower to
5 or 8 cm (2 or 3") in spring and fall.
Raise mower another
1 cm (1/2") during hot weather for drought resistance.
Change direction
of cut each time to keep coarse grasses under control and ensure even surface.
Do not cut wet
grass. It mows unevenly, and the clippings clog the mower. It will leave clippings
that will mat on the grass, blocking much-needed sunlight.
Never remove more than one-third of the grass blade height at any one time. If
you let the grass grow too high, cut it back in stages, removing small amounts
each time until the (8cm) height is reached.
There is a direct relationship between mowing height and depth of roots. If your
lawn is mowed at the recommended height, the grass will grow deep. However, if
the lawn is cut too short, root growth will slow and the grass will be less hearty
and more susceptible to stress.
SEEDING
There are two methods of seeding; one for completely bare areas of soil and the
other for overseeding an existing lawn. For bare soil, rake the soil, spread a
high quality grass seed and rake the seed in so the wind will not blow it away.
Cover with 3mm (1/8") thick mixture of soil, compost and VIGORO LAWN
STARTER FERTILIZER 18-24-12. Keep the surface moist for at least 10 days.
You might want to run a string around your lawn to keep traffic off until the
lawn is established.
For overseeding, just rake your lawn and spread seed. Water regularly and apply
regular lawn fertilizer. On newly seeded areas do not apply a weed control or
crabgrass control for at least six to eight weeks after the seed has germinated.
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