I would like to top dress my lawn. How much should I put on my lawn and when is the best time to be doing this?

seeding

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I would like to top dress my lawn. How much should I put on my lawn and when is the best time to be doing this?

By charity | Published: February 26, 2014
seeding

The best time to top dress your lawn is in the spring. No matter how much top dressing you apply, you will be smothering grass plants that need oxygen and sunlight to survive. In the spring the lawn grows vigorously and is easily able to punch through the top dressing. Many homeowners also seed when they top dress the lawn. Spring is an advantageous time to do so since conditions are usually cool and moist. Under any circumstances, the rule for top dressing the lawn should be; lots of thin layers rather than one or two thick layers. How thick you go depends on how long your lawn is. As a general rule, you can apply top dressing to a thickness that is equivalent to one third the height of the lawn. If your lawn is three inches tall, spread top dressing at a thickness of one inch. If you…

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How can I get rid of quackgrass?

By charity | Published: February 26, 2014
weeds

There are no known effective means of getting rid of quackgrass in a lawn. The problem lies in the fact that quackgrass is a grass plant species just like the Kentucky bluegrass that makes up most of your lawn. All species of grasses have common hormones and process their food almost identically. Therefore any type of herbicide or other chemical control will also kill the Kentucky bluegrass that you’re trying to keep. Digging up quackgrass might sound like an easy enough solution, but it’s actually the worst thing you can do. Quackgrass has incredibly extensive roots. Digging it up, you will never be able to get all of the roots out. In fact, the roots that are left in the soil will sprout new quackgrass plants in greater numbers than you had before. Unfortunately, all you can do to keep quackgrass in check is to keep your lawn mowed often….

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How can I tell if my lawn needs to be aerated?

By charity | Published: February 26, 2014
aeration

Aerating is a process that involves pulling small finger-like cores out of the lawn. The cores should ideally be 2.5-3 inches long. The length of the cores is dependent on how hard or compact the lawn is. Aerating is performed to correct compacted soil, improve drainage, improve water and fertilizer penetration and absorption, improve heat and drought tolerance, and improve the effectiveness of weed control. If you have heavily compacted soil, aerating every year, or even twice a year for a couple of years will dramatically improve your situation. If you want to realize the full value of watering or want to maximize the effectiveness of your fertilizer and weed control applications, aeration will certainly improve the response that your lawn will have. Ultimately, aeration is a good idea if you have a lawn that isn’t in the best shape. Alternatively, if you have a great looking lawn and want…

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How long should a lawn last?

By charity | Published: February 26, 2014
general grass

I always like to think of the lawn like a human body. Eat your veggies, get lots of exercise, take your vitamins, take medicines when you get sick and so on and you will likely lead a long healthy life. Spend your life drinking, smoking, and doing drugs and your body will probably pay for it. A well cared for lawn should be expected to last anywhere from 30 to 40 years. Most lawns will likely start to show their age at about 25 years and will likely need to be “renovated” at least once or twice by adding a few layers of soil, seed, and by aerating annually in order to extend its life.  

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My property backs on to a ditch and some railroad tracks. I’ve tried everything to stop the thistles from coming into my back lawn. Is there anything you can suggest to stop them?

By charity | Published: February 26, 2014
weeds

Thistles are probably the most difficult weeds to control in Manitoba. The Canada thistle can grow to over 6 feet tall! Just imagine the root structure that supports something like that. That’s where your problem lies. Thistles reproduce in two ways; through seeds, and through rhizomes. Rhizomes are shallow roots that run close to the surface and eventually sprout new plants. Thus, where you find one thistle, you will likely find a whole family of them. They will spread into your lawn from a neighbour’s unkept flowerbeds as well. Unless the entire family of weeds is wiped out, they will continue to be a constant problem. Treating the few small thistles on your side of the fence will not solve your problem since you will only be poisoning a small segment of the cluster. You may weaken the root mass, but not enough to kill it. It will continue to…

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What should I do with the old weed and feed product I have in my garage?

By charity | Published: February 26, 2014
herbicide

Use it for what it was intended for. Much of the active ingredient(s) will have dissipated within the container, but your lawn will still likely benefit from what remains of nutrients that are still lingering in the product. This is certainly the best alternative. Whatever you do, do not throw unused fertilizer or weed control products into the garbage since it will inevitably end up in the landfill, which is not where these products belong. If you have some other type of fertilizer or pesticide you need to dispose of, give it away to someone who might use it or you can call an environmental agency that properly disposes of petroleum products and other chemicals that pose a potential danger to the environment.

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Should I mulch or bag my clippings?

By charity | Published: February 26, 2014
mulch

The answer to this question depends on how much time you have to dedicate to your lawn. Mulching is the better way to go. Mulching returns nutrients to the soil regularly and evenly. However, mulching must be done properly! During periods of excessive growth, your lawn may need to be cut as often as three times a week! If you are mulching your lawn and notice the clippings on the surface of the lawn, you are well on your way to a mess of problems. To mulch correctly you must cut the clippings into small enough pieces that they fall into the lawn. You should not see any clippings on the lawn. If you do, the clippings are not being cut into small enough pieces. They will not break down fast enough, and will begin to accumulate in the lawn and form a thick layer of thatch very rapidly. These…

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Every once in a while I get mushrooms in my lawn. Is there anything I can do to get rid of them?

By charity | Published: February 26, 2014
weeds

Not really. Mushrooms usually emerge during periods of excessive moisture. They will most often grow in a cluster, accompanied by darker grass in the shape of a crescent moon. Lawn care professionals call this “Fairy Ring”. You will often find more than one of these crescent moons lined with mushrooms in an average lawn. The mushrooms occur as a result of decomposing organic matter, such as a tree stump or branch below the surface of the lawn. A stray piece of wood left behind during the construction of the home might also be the cause. Thus, fairy ring tends to be more prevalent in newer suburbs. While removing the dead piece of wood might seem to be the obvious solution to this problem, finding it is another story. You may dig up your lawn only to find a giant tree stump. You may dig up your lawn and find nothing…

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I am a dog owner. I let my dog out to do his business in the back yard. Is there anything I can do about all the dead spots caused by his urine?

By charity | Published: February 26, 2014

I’m afraid there isn’t much you can do to repair the damage once it’s done. Given enough time, any dead spot in the lawn will fill in eventually. Your dog’s urine is acidic. Female dog urine is more acidic than males. Of course the bigger, and more energetic your dog is, the more water it will drink and the more it will urinate. The urine, being acidic, changes the pH of the soil. Grass requires a pH of 5.5 to 6.5 to thrive. The more acidic the soil, the greener the lawn. You’ve probably noticed that around the very edge of the dead patches that the grass is usually darker green. This dark ring of grass around the dead spot is growing in acid soil that has improved the colour but isn’t acid enough to kill it. Whenever the pH of the soil becomes too acidic, or too alkaline, the…

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There are a lot of little white moths flying out of my lawn. What are they up to and should I be concerned?

By charity | Published: February 26, 2014

Most people refer to these moths as “paper moths” because they look like a light piece of paper blowing erratically in the wind. They are cause for some concern since these are sod webworm moths. As the moths flutter about, they drop eggs onto the lawn as they fly. Southern Manitoba can see as many as three generations of sod webworm beginning in early summer. These eggs will hatch and turn into the sod webworm larvae. Sod webworms are white in colour with an orange head. They are about half an inch long. They chew off the roots of the grass plants in a layer between the soil and the thatch. The first symptom of serious damage is the appearance of small, dead, fist sized patches. The lawn in these damaged areas peels up quite easily when gently tugged. Peeling back the turf, several sod webworms are likely to be…

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