Lawn Care Tips

Just follow these 10 easy steps to keep your lawn at its best:

Step 1

Repair winter injury. After the snow melts, rake up old thatch and debris to allow the grass to breathe. Make note of low patches in the lawn which have been damaged by water and ice build up. Correct the drainage in these areas by building the soil up or contouring the soil to allow the water to drain away.

Step 2

Seed if necessary. In early spring, spread a good quality seed mixture to parch bare spots or thicken up weak areas. A sun/shade mix containing creeping red fescue, Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass is an excellent all-purpose seed mixture. Spread some quality topsoil such as a sandy loam or composted leaf and grass clippings in the areas prior to seeding along with Vigoro Lawn Starter Fertilizer. Using a leaf rake, lightly rake the surface to ensure seed-soil contact and to bury the seed slightly. Spring rains should look after the watering.

Step 3

Control crabgrass. (Mainly in Ontario) Crabgrass will pose a problem in thin areas of the lawn which have been damaged by winter injury or from grub or chinch bug damage the previous year. In early spring, apply Golden Vigoro Lawn Fertilizer with Crabgrass Preventer to prevent crabgrass from invading the lawn.

Step 4

Control broadleaf weeds. Weeds like dandelion, plantain, chickweed and others compete with grass for soil nutrients... and they usually win. Use Golden Vigoro Lawn Weed & Feed when weeds are actively growing to solve the problem.

Step 5

Use water wisely. Don’t be afraid to let the top surface of the soil dry out... this will encourage deep-rooted stress-tolerant grass.

Step 6

Control insects. White grubs, chinch bugs, leather jackets, ants, wireworms and any common insects could destroy your lawn. Try this; cut out both ends of a coffee tin, sink it half way into the lawn, and fill with water. If several insects make their way to the surface, apply a fertilizer such as Golden Vigoro with Insect Control.

Step 7

Use the correct mower height. In dry summer weather, let the lawn grow out a bit, and then cut with the lawn mower set up higher. In the fall, cut shorter again to avoid giving disease a place to develop.

Step 8

If you don’t need to control weeds or insects, don’t. Application of a regular lawn fertilizer like Golden Vigoro Lawn Fertilizer every 10 to 12 weeks is all you need to keep your lawn healthy.

Step 9

Rake leaves so the grass can breathe. Chopped up, they make a great mulch for gardens.

Step 10

Fertilizer in the fall. The fall feeding is the most important application of all. Use Golden Vigoro Fall Lawn Fertilizer. This high potassium blend will strengthen the lawn for winter and the nitrogen will be stored in the roots for a quick start in the spring.

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