Tips

Fact Sheet #: #1
LAWN MAINTENANCE OVERVIEW

The discussion to follow is a result of 30 years of experience of building and maintaining lawns. At Spencer’s Garden Center we have developed practical methods and procedure for building and maintaining lawns. Much is written about lawn care. We will give you the procedures and products that have proven to us that will save you time and money.

Soil Test: This is something you can do your self or give Spencer’s Garden Center a call and we will test your lawn when we are in your area. A soil test will let you know the condition of your soil and how get it where it should be for growing grass, or anything else. We have done hundreds of samples and find them to be extremely helpful at cutting cost and giving better results. If you want to check just one thing check the soils P.H.. This is a test of how much lime you will have to add to give your grass the best chance of growing. For years we have been asked how much lime should I put on my lawn. My thought s are what is the P.H.. Without a soil test it is a guess. Without the sample put down 1 bag of lime per 1,000 sq ft and keeping doing that until such time you have a test done.

Walk around the lawn and take radium samples of the soil down 5 to 6 inches. Take the sample in the spring before you apply any lime or fertilize. Take 3 random samples with- in each 1,000 sq. ft. Put a small handful of soil from each spot into a clean bucket. Do not put in any grass roots, sticks, or green top of the grass into the sample. After you have taken samples from the entire area you want tested, mix altogether in the bucket and take 1 cup out of the bucket to be sent off for testing. Take out any rock over ½” and discard as they will be discarded before testing the soil. I have provided a link below with the cost and address to send the sample to. If money is an issue just gets the P.H. test done. Spencer’s Garden Center can give you good advice on what else you will need. We would be happy to help you interpret the test results at no cost to you.

You will get better results if you send your soil sample to the Department of Agriculture.
The department of Agriculture takes into consideration the structure of the soil where as your home meter does not look at the soil makeup. The soil makeup has a lot to due with how much lime you will require.

Mowing: We have all mowed grass. It is almost a family ritual to have our children mow the grass. Mowing grass correctly takes less time and is the single most important aspect of having good grass. It boils down to regular mowing and a sharp blade.
1. Cut the grass to a height of 2.5” to 3”. Along the cost where the grass has more moisture you will be cutting the grass closer to 2.5.” Measure the grass from the top of the ground to the top of the cut grass, then adjust the mower to and measure again until you know how high your will be cutting with the different setting on your mower.
2. Make sure the blade is sharpened at least once a month. We find it best to have two sets of blades. One set is on the mower and the other set is sharp and ready to be installed. You will have to find the best method of changing blades on your mower. After you mow a lawn with a dull blade your lawn will look brown. If you look at the top of a blade of grass you will see how the mower ripped off the grass as opposed to cutting off the grass.
3. Mow every 5 to 7 days regardless of what you think. When you cut off less than ½ an inch of grass you can leave it on the lawn. If you cut more than ½” you will have to bag it or rake it. This is a general rule and can vary form lawn to lawn. If you leave your lawn for 10 to 14 days it will take you more than twice as long to mow and after you get down mowing and raking what is left will be yellow for a few days until it greens up. It cost more to mow less and your lawn never looks good.

Liming: In order for plants to grow, including grass, the plant has to get nutrients from the soil into the roots and up into the plant. The amount of lime in the ground determines how efficient the plant is at picking up the avaialbe nutrients that are in the soil. The amount of lime in the ground is measured by something called the P.H. scale. The P.H. scale goes from number 1 to number 14. Lawns, vegetable gardens and most flower shrubs like the P.H. number to be between 6 and 6.5. If the P.H number is above 6.5 or below 6 the plants will not be able to get the maximum amount of food it needs from the soil. Taking a soil sample will let you know exactly how much lime you will need to put down and allow your plants to look great Limestone is natural rock that is lacking in our part of the world. Because it is lacking and the plants still need it we have to buy it and add it to the ground.

If you’re not going to take a soil sample we are going to guess your P.H. to be between 5 and 5.5. At a P.H. of 5 your lawn will need two 18kg bags of lime per 1,000 sq. ft. for a period of 4 years. At a P.H. of 5.5 your lawn will need two 18kg bags of lime per 1,000 sq. ft. for a period of 3 years. You can put down 1 bag per 1,000 sq ft and put it down for a longer period of time. This is a simple way of determining how much lime you need but it works. Lime in the bag will not help your lawn unless you put it on the lawn.

Always buy Dolmitic Agricultural Lime. It comes in a powder form and a pellet form. Both forms dissolve in water and go right to work as soon as they get rained on. Pelletized lime is clean and can be apply with a spreader. Powdered lime can not be applied with a spreader. It has to be spread with a shoved or some other means. It is very difficult to spread and is very messy especially if there is any wind At Spencer’s Garden Center our landscaping division always uses the palletized lime because is much fast to apply and we can get accurate coverage. Powder lime cost less which is always and incentive. As a word of caution do not buy Hydrated Lime.

At Spencer’s Garden Centre we loan our spreaders out at now cost to our customer. The cyclone spreaders work best. Put the setting as wide open as possible, walk a good pace and you should be putting down 18kg per 1,000 sq. ft. The spreaders we loan out will hold 27 kg of lime at a time.

Lawn Fertilizer: If you don’t do anything else and you want your grass to turn green put on fertilizer. The big secret to fertilizer is putting it on your lawn when your lawn needs it. It should be watered in to do its job. Most people plan on rain to do the watering because they have properties too big to water or they get their water from their well. Lawn fertilizer is made to give a slowly feed you lawn over a 4 to 5 month period. Regular garden fertilizer will use up its nitrogen in a week or two depending on the rain and the grass will not look as green. In our lawn maintenance program we fertilize our customer 2 times a year, 3 times a year and some times 4 times a year.

There are numerous types of fertilizer and numerous fertilizing plans being marketed. Many of the fertilizer procedures are designed around weather patterns because this determines when you grass will be growing and when it will be dormant. Our area doesn’t fit any of the fertilizing programs being promoted. Our weather allows our grass to be green right up to and including January. Our soil sample results also advise what type of fertilizer through the year. Gives us a call and we can advise you on what we use and what may be available in your area as a good substitute.

We fertilize in the Spring, which means as soon as you see someone’s lawn turning green put fertilizer on your lawn because its time for your grass to be growing and it needs the fertilizer. If we are going to fertilize twice a year we put the second application on in September. Fertilizing in September or October will results in a green lawn in the fall plus your lawn will be the first to green up in the spring. If we are going to fertilizer three times a year we will put an application on in June. Along the coast this works well as we usually have enough moisture on in the lawn for the grass to look good through July and August. Our turf doesn’t go dormant like those hot dry areas in other parts of Nova Scotia. Depending on the season we could put the last application on in October, this will give the grass a real boost in the Spring.

The cost of fertilizing is always a factor. If you can only fertilize once a year do it in late September. Grass grows best in the fall plus you may get a Spring boost out of this application.

As mentioned in our mowing discussion, if you cut ½” or less off your grass you can leave the clipping on the lawn. This is an excellent fertilizer in addition it is organic and it’s free. If the P.H. of your lawn is 6 to 6.5 the clipping will become a great fertilizer.

Organic fertilizer has a lot of different meanings to a lot of different people. Be concerned how safe the product is for you and the environment. It may take a few calls to find out if you are buying recycled industrial waste or a good organic product that will build the quality of your soil. As these products come and go it would be a good idea to give us a call and we can let you know what we are using.

Lawn Bugs and Weeds: There are really only 3 main bugs that can destroy lawn if left unchecked. All you have to do is monitor your for problems. You will learn how to identify the problem by their table manners. Weeds are another story. We will start with the bugs then go to the weeds.

Chinch bugs. These little guys are about the size of a small black fly at their fully grown adult stage. The young ones born this year are red and will be adults by the end of the growing year. You will see the damage mainly in the hottest driest part or your lawn. Most people don’t realize they have chinch bugs because they just think the grass is just dry because the chinch bugs eat during the driest part of the year. The main difference is that if the grass is brown from lack of water it will turn green when it rains. If it is brown from chick bugs the grass does not come back. However weeds will fill the area in real fast so from a distant you thin kit is ok but the green is weeds and the grass is in the bellies of the chick bugs. To see the little guys get on your knees and let your eyes focus in the area where the grass is browning. You will see little black fly looking bugs scurrying around. You will have to inspect the lawn when it’s dry. Chinch bugs are usually right on top of the ground and easy to see on a hot dry day. They dislike water as much as the witch from OZ. When the ground is moist they hide and you will not find them. If you can see the damage but not the bug chances are your just not looking in the right place at the right time. We often go to inspect a lawn and we are unable to actually see the culprit but we can look around at the damage to verify which culprit is doing the dinning, but just not there for us to see at the time of inspection.

If you had area on your lawn that used to be grass, as you may recall, but now it is a patch of weeds or just a patch of dirt you have chinch bugs. They usually stay year after year until they run out of food. If you don’t control the chinch bug you will be putting in new grass. They usually don’t leave on their own. If you have a lot of shade in your lawn they usually won’t go there. They love the sun. I think some of my friends and family also have that sun gene.

The most common question is how did I get chinch bugs? They are naturally in the environment and when they get to an area with lots of food and the right conditions they move in for an extended stay. They winter under the grass or any place where they can get out of the weather. The next spring they come out and mate and the young ones are out usually are ready to start eating along the cost from the beginning of June to Mid July15. If you use a chemical control this is the time to start. With all cases of insect problems you can change your maintenance procedure and help make the grass less as appealing to the Chinch bug. See more on controls

Always keep your eye open for brown spots appearing your lawn. If your neighbor’s lawn is not turning brown and they have not been watering it is unlikely they got rain and you didn’t. It is more likely that you have chinch bug and they don’t. Sometimes we have found that under the dry area is the septic tank or ledge rock and that’s why the grass is drying out.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ASK JIM vai email or CALL

Leather Jackets: There guys let you know a year ahead that they will be back when its time to eat. If you have mowed your lawn if the fall and noticed these rather large looking mosquito insects flying up in your face and around the mower. These are the European crane fly, Tipula paludosa Meigen. They came from the leather jackets that were in your lawn and hatched into their adult stage. After flying around for a few days they mate lay eggs in the soil and then the adult dies. Mid October the small leather jacket begins to eat your grass. You will notice the damage in the Spring when they are really hungry. The crane fly egg turns into a grub/worm-looking insect that can grow to be 1” or so and as big around as a pencil. They are dressed in camouflage clothing. If you pick one up they are like leather and are not easily squished. After a rain you may see them on your driveway or sidewalk. They like to feed where the grass is damp/wet and some shade. I have seen lots of them in sunny locations with no obvious moisture so don’t believe everything you Google. You may also read that they will not survive a cold winter. I have experienced 30 winters and not one has been cold enough to effect the leather jacket population. One of those 30 was a record breaking cold period. My best advice is that if you see the crane fly in the fall be ready in the spring.

The grass doesn’t turn brown it just disappears. The area is thinned of grass. You can dig in the ground but it is best to spot the type of damage to know what is causing the problem or look for leather jackets after a heavy rain on your walk or driveway.

As soon as your start to see damage you want to put on a control. There is a chemical control that works very well and there is also a nematode control that works well. Be sure to follow the instructions with the nematode regarding soil temperature. If the soil is too cold they will not do the job you expected. See more on controls

June Bug Grub: If an award were to be given for the worst lawn pest in our area it would go hands down to the June/May Grub. The June Bug mates in June lays a bunch
of eggs that hatch a few weeks later and they begin eating the grass roots. The grubs live in your turf eating for three years before they cocoon themselves and emerge as a lovely June Bug to start another family of grass eating grubs.

These fellows are very easy to identify. They eat the roots and leave the grass. This result is brown grass area on the lawn. Grab the brown grass and if you can pull the grass out of the ground in the form of a brown sod you have white grabs. Check under the soil where the grass was and you will find the white grub. The older ones have a brown head. Crows, gulls, raccoons, and moles will dig up your lawn looking for the grubs to eat. They will dig up your lawn and take the biggest juices grubs and leave the small one. Don’t think they will eat all the grubs. After the big grubs are gone they will find easier eating someplace else. Don’t take your frustrations out on the crow and gulls digging up your lawn as they are not the problem. Spend your efforts getting rid of the grubs. Tilling your lawn will not get ride of the grubs. Keep in mind that most treatments have to be done in the spring before you see the damage. If you had them last year you can bet the farm that you will have them this year even worse this year. Take action in the spring. It’s one of those things that get worse with time if not corrected.

There are some chemical controls that work and some that don’t. There are also some biological controls that seem to work. The adult June Bug that flies around at night banging into you windows is attracted by the light coming from inside the house. You can reduce the June bugs around your hose by putting replace any outside sights will bulbs that give off a yellow light. Your can reduce the light coming from inside the house by pulling the curtains. You will only have to put up with the light reducing policy for two or three weeks. In this case, an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure. See more on controls

When you have controlled the grubs you can reseed/sod your lawn. Rake up the dead grass you will have exposed top soil. From here just follow the methods of seeding/soding a lawn. You could also just put topsoil right over the dead grass and re seed. See building a lawn.

Two other grubs fall into this category, the European Chafer and the Japanese beetle grub. As of 2008 we don’t have a problem with either of these insects. The European Chafer is in eating in the Kingston area and will take a few years before we see them on the South Shore. The Japanese is here in a very limited numbers. The Japanese beetle is very active in New England, Quebec and Ontario. We had Japanese beetles on our rose garden in Massachusetts 50 years ago. The adults eat all kinds of plant leaves and the grub stage eats the grass roots. The Federal and Provincial governments have laws to try and contain the spread of this pest. Our governments have done a good job up to now. If you are the long term investing type put your money on the Japanese beetle as they have a better developed persistence gene than humans.

If you have any question on this See Ask Jim

Aerating: Aerating your lawn is a good idea. The only type of aerating I would recommend is the core aerator. This machine takes out a plug of soil and leaves a hole in the ground. The soil cores are left on top of the ground. After a month of mowing the cores break up and the soil is distributed at the base of the grass. This soil helps if you are going to over seed and it helps decompose grass clipping into a natural fertilizer. Aerating also helps reduce compaction, drains water, helps reduce thatch, and improves root development. Most residential lawns are not compacted unless they were built with compacted soil. The aerator works best when the soil is moist, usually in the fall or spring. If you can arrange to aerate and then lime or fertilize the same day your lawn will love you. The fertilizer and lime get down into the holes and right to the roots. If you can provide rain after you lime and fertilize your lawn will love you even more. If you are planning to over-seed your lawn in mid September then I would aerate mid August. By the first of September the cores should be broken up to provide a soil base for the new grass seed. Remember if the ground is not moist enough to get a soil core out of the ground you will have to adjust your plans. You can rent aerators from larger rental firms. Make sure the aerator you rent takes a core out of the ground. Ask Jim if you have any questions
Dethatching: Thatch is the tough mixture of dead grass and roots that accumulate on top of the soil at the base of the grass. The problem is that this thatch prevents water, fertilizer and nutrients from getting to the roots of the grass. It is also a great attraction for Chinch Bugs. Now that we know what thatch is we can talk about dethatching. Dethatching is the process getting rid of the thatch. You have a choice between hand dethatching rakes and power dethatchers. Power dethatchers are similar to heavy lawn mowers or aerators. I would not recommend a hand dethatching rake unless you have a good heart and lost of muscles and a glutton for punishment. The power rake works great and it’s fast. After you power rake you will have lot of dead grass to rake up. This is also a great machine for reseeding a lawn or over seeding. You can also rent these machines. See refurbishing a lawn or Ask Jim

Over-seedings: Over-seeding is the planting of grass seed directly into the existing turf without tearing up the turf or the soil. It’s an easy way to fill in bare spots, improve the density of turf, establish improved grass varieties and enhance your lawn’s colour. If a lawn looks “worn out”, if it has sustained insect damage then it’s a perfect candidate for over-seeding. Over-seeding will replace the turf with new grass. This might be a good time to take that soil sample, put down lime, fix the drainage problems or change the size of the lawn. There are a couple requirements to be successful in the over-seed process. You will have to do something to ensure the seed you put on is in contact with the ground. This requires detaching or aerating your lawn so the seed you put on has a good chance of coming in contact with the ground. You can mow your lawn short and seed over top the existing grass. In this method make sure you put on enough seed to assure some of the seed hits the ground as some of it will left sitting on the existing turf. Seed has to be on the ground to germinate. The roots will not grow in the air.

Watering: After the seed is put on, water it in or hope for rain.
If you have the average dug well and 20,000 sq. ft. to water, you might consider waiting for rain rather than taking the risk of draining the well. You don’t want to be home when a family member arrives home to find there is no water and the pump has lost its prime. We always rely on rain and have always had success. The best method is using the dethatcher. First mow the grass short and the run the dethatcher over the area. This marks up the ground well enough that so when you put on the seed the ground is ready for the seed. A good portion of the seed that hits the ground that has been detached
has a very good chance of germinating. Keep checking on the progress of the seed. Water is the key ingredient in all aspect of growing grass. If you can see some germination add a turf starter fertilizer, something like 16-32-6, at 25% of the recommended rate. As the grass grow keep putting on the same amount of fertilizer once every 10 days. You can mow on a regular basis if the original grass has to be mowed. In this case, bag the grass you cut until the new seed has finished germinating and has been mowed at least once. If you have any question See Ask Jim or Call.

5 Ohio Road, Shelburne, Nova Scotia, B0T 1W0
Tel: 1-877-870-3055 | 902-875-3055 | Fax: 902-875-3023
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