Break the Cycle: Why lawn maintenance is just as important as lawn repair.

One of the primary things that we come across in the lawn care industry would be very similar to the health industry. We don’t have to be specialists to know that if we eat properly, exercise regularly, and maintain an active lifestyle, we will be happier, healthier and generally live longer. The same goes for your lawn maintenance.

As a society we are generally reactive rather than proactive. This leads us to look for fixes when a problem arises, rather than anticipate a future problem and put in measures to prevent it.

I couldn’t tell you how many people I have spoken to over the years that tell me that they have given up on their lawn because they have tried everything and wind up back in the same spot. They no longer want to spend any more money or time on it ever again. This is usually followed by “I am paving it”, I am turning it into a rock garden” etc.…

Here is one of the more common lawn maintenance practices:

1. Wait until the lawn is in very bad shape and then spend a lot of money (and maybe time) repairing it.
2. Once it looks nice, no longer bother with much maintenance other than mowing and watering while the lawn slowly declines in health.
3. Two years later or so the lawn is in bad shape and it’s time to repair it all over again.

By maintaining a lawn in this manner, you will generally only remember large costs associated with the lawn and large amounts of work. It will no doubt be very frustrating.

I would imagine most people do not see a need to maintain a lawn when it is newly laid or planted (or just plain looks good), because there is in many cases no immediate result or gratification in doing anything for it. It looks great. Just like we wait until we go up a waist size to realize we should get back to the gym or change our diet.

Healthy grass will have a longer lifespan, and be more resilient to:

• Disease
• Insects
• Drought
• Cold
• Heat
• Being ripped up by animals
• Keeping moss and weeds at bay

Among other things…

So, what things SHOULD you do to maintain a healthy beautiful lawn?

MOW:

Mow regularly and ensure the blades are sharp. Keep a height of about 3 inches. Letting it get too long and then mowing can rip and shock the grass, while mowing too short can damage it.

AERATE:

Aerate your lawn at least once per year. Regular aeration will help keep the roots deep, cycle nutrients below the root system, and relieve compaction in the soil.

RAKE OR POWER-RAKE:

(As needed) If you have an excess of moss or thatch it can provide an ideal breeding ground for insects and lawn disease. This can be caused by acidity levels in the soil, over fertilizing, dampness etc… It is a good idea to over-seed your lawn immediately after doing this because if you bare large parts of the soil and do not, there is a high chance something else will decide to grow in that area.

OVER-SEED:

Adding seed to your lawn once or twice per year keeps the lawn thick and replaces grass that dies out over time. Keeping a lawn thick will allow it to naturally choke out weeds and make it harder to tear by animals or otherwise. http://mylawn.care/2019/05/15/what-do-different-types-of-grass-seeds-do/

FERTILIZE:

Fertilizing three times a year is generally enough. Spring, Summer and Fall. The levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium should be adjusted according to the environment and time of year. Fertilizing too often or with too much nitrogen can damage grass, cause stress, and even kill it. http://mylawn.care/2019/06/12/why-does-lawn-fertilizer-matter-for-healthy-turf/

LIME:

In the lower mainland BC or quite possibly anywhere that is classed as a 5b – 7b plant hardiness zone, the soil acidity could be high, and you may see moss as a factor. Adding lime can sweeten the soil, enable the grass to absorb nutrients better and help push back moss. A granulated lime is easier to spread and can help provide a more even distribution. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/agriculture-and-seafood/agricultural-land-and-environment/soil-nutrients/600-series/637000-1_liming_acid_soils_in_central_bc.pdf

Keep in mind that if your lawn is in a bad state, it could take a few years of general maintenance to get it to where you want it without doing a major overhaul. Stick with it though, and it will be putting a smile on your face before you realize it.

For the products designed for a healthy regimen: http://mylawn.care/store/

If there is some sort of persistent factor as to why why your lawn struggles, and you ARE doing regular maintenance, then you will need to find out how to resolve that issue before you can move further.

Lawn maintenance may seem like a lot of work but,

It really isn’t, and can provide some good exercise and sense of accomplishment. Mowing will be the most regular thing you do, and you may have a good idea how long that takes. Over-seeding, Fertilizing and liming can all be done the same day, and shouldn’t take more than a few hours to do. You can hire somebody to aerate if you want to save yourself the trouble. Power raking can be quite labour intensive but is not something that needs to be done regularly if the lawn is well maintained, and you can hire somebody for that as well if it is an issue.

We at MyLawn.Care have taken all of this into account and blended a mix specifically to perform in the British Columbia climate, so that you do not need to worry about this and can just spread it and enjoy the results!

If you would like to hear more on another topic, or have any questions on the above, feel free to comment below or email us at [email protected]. We are here to help!