Lawn Care Programs

Great grass requires deep roots and healthy soil. Our Ottawa lawn care programs are designed to improve your soil and promote deep dense root growth. This approach creates a lawn that is resistant to weeds, disease, foot traffic and drought.

Lawn Cutting

Available by the season or per cut

Our weekly lawn cutting service starts approximately May 1st and continues as late as October 23rd. We will cut your grass 18 – 25 times depending on weather. Near the end of the season we cut the grass short , let grass grow until going to seed, then we cut short again. Short grass over the winter provide two benefits. Less chance of mole damage and easier clean up in the spring. If we occur an drought during the summer. We use extra care. In extended drought it even mean not walking or cutting your grass doing so can cause more damage to your lawn. We will be visting your property once a week to determine what is best for your lawn that week The service includes trimming and clean up the driveways and walk ways by using leaf blowers.

Price starting at $450.00 + HST.

The Soil

Soil is the most important element for healthy grass. The roots of grass plants obtain needed moisture and nutrients from the soil and in order for roots to function they need plenty of oxygen in the soil.

All soils benefit from adding organic matter (like compost or manure) which contains nutrients and improves the soil:

increases moisture retention in sandy soil
breaks up clay soil to allow spaces for air and water movement in the soil
is rich in micro-organisms that decompose clippings and slow down grubs

Mowing

Keep the lawnmower blades sharp; torn grass is more susceptible to disease.

Cut about 1/3 of the grass blade. Your grass needs full leaves to create food by
photosynthesis. Short lawns cannot produce enough food to be healthy.

Weed seeds need light to germinate; keeping the grass 7cm in height reduces
weeds.

Thatch

A thatch layer that exceeds 0.5 cm (¼ ", pencil thickness) can reduce the water entering the soil. Thatch results from cutting long portions of the grass repeatedly over the growing season. Earthworms love to eat short grass clippings, but long ones dry out and do not decompose easily. Homeowners should mow once a week so the clippings are short and attract the worms.

A gentle raking in the spring to remove debris is all the lawn needs.

Topdressing is the most effective way to manage thatch problems.

Reseed Bare Patches

Weed seeds grow well in bare spots on the lawn, so repair them as soon as possible. If the soil is compacted, loosen it, add organic matter and dig it in.

Sprinkle the seed on the soil surface, press it down, but do not bury it and keep it moist until germination occurs. Try adding some Dutch White Clover to your lawn seed mixture, which is hardy and low maintenance.

Lawn Care: Monthly Upkeep

March (snowmelt)

Don't walk on soggy cold lawns
Remove debris from lawn
Look for dead patches and determine the cause (insect, disease or salt)
Look for bare and thin areas

April

Lightly rake to break up snow mould and to remove loose thatch
Apply gypsum to yards in areas where pets have damaged the lawn
In salt-damaged areas, aerate, apply gypsum or lime and water deeply in the early morning to flush away the salt
Reseed dead patches and over-seed poor areas with a grass seed mix that is suited to the sunlight conditions for each area
Perennial rye and fescue grasses are more tolerant of salt than Kentucky bluegrass
Consider alternative ground covers and/or different landscaping to prevent future problems

Porous, black soaker hoses that leak water out through the material are a good
method of applying water to the soil without excess evaporation or loss to wind.
They are preferable to sprinklers where the water shoots up into the air before
falling to the ground.

May

Aerate compacted areas of the lawn
Remove thatch if it is ½ cm, (¼" or pencil width) in depth
Topdress the lawn with organic material, such as compost, or with screened topdressing soil mix.
Spot seed and over-seed if you haven't already done so
Maintain the lawn at a mowing height of 7-8 cm (3"), leave clippings on the lawn, cut less than 1/3 of blade height each time.
Mow when grass is dry
Water deeply 2.5 cm (1") every 7-10 days if necessary, in the early morning
Fertilizers are not necessary especially if the lawn is treated with corn gluten meal, topdressed, or the clippings are left on the lawn after mowing. If fertilizing, use a balanced fertilizer
Hand pull weeds
Corn gluten meal reduces weeds and can be applied until the end of May. Itis also a source of Nitrogen fertilizer. Do not use on areas seeded with grass seed

June

As grass growth slows, reduce mowing frequency
Monitor and treat for: heat stress, insects and diseases
Hand pull weeds
Apply the summer treatment of corn gluten meal if needed

July

Maintain the lawn at a mowing height of 7-8 cm (3 inches)
Monitor and treat for: heat stress, insects and diseases
Fertilize with a balanced slow-release or organic fertilizer (optional)
Water 0.5cm (¼"-1/8") every few days or let the lawn go dormant (turn brown), don't cut until it recovers after a rain
Cut only when necessary
Hand pull weeds
Sharpen mower blades

August

As in July, allow grass to go dormant
Water deeply in the early morning, 2.5 cm (1 inch) every 7-10 days if a dormant lawn is not acceptable
Hand pull weeds
Monitor and treat for insects and diseases
Maintain mowing height at 7-8 cm

September

The fall is the best time to dethatch, aerate and topdress the lawn
Over-seed and re-seed weak patches
Water deeply in the early morning, 2.5cm (1 inch) every 7-10 days if there is no rain
Monitor and treat for insects and diseases
Apply a fertilizer low in Nitrogen and higher in Phosphate and Potassium to increase winter hardiness (optional)
Hand pull weeds
Apply corn gluten meal if not putting down grass seed
Rake up leaves or chop them up with the lawn mower. Many leaves such as maple will damage the lawn if they remain on plants over winter.

October

Monitor and treat for insects and diseases
Chop fallen leaves with mower and leave up to 0.5cm mulch, compost the remainder if insect and disease free
Service lawnmower and sharpen blades
Plan to minimize salt damage this winter by applying gypsum to the areas of the lawn normally affected
Hand pull weeds
Apply corn gluten meal in late October if grass seed was used in September
Rake up leaves.

Call Us Now : 613-715-1709