Sudbury Living - Summer 2008 - 23

■ gar de ning Green, green GRASS OF HOME Turf Logic uses liquid and powder plant-based products. Organic fertilizers are slower-acting than chemical alternatives, so patience is required, but they also include beneﬁcial micro-organisms that help improve soil quality over time. Once the soil is taken care of, most other lawn problems can be prevented through proper lawn maintenance practices, including mowing, watering, aeration and over-seeding. “One of the biggest problems people make is improper cutting,” says House. “They will either cut it too short, cut it too infrequently or cut it when it’s really hot – all things that really stress out a lawn. Then suddenly, weeds and insects become a problem.” A general rule of thumb is to maintain a blade height of approximately three inches and to cut off no more than one-third of the grass blade at a time. “Taller grass helps shade the soil and prevents weed seeds from germinating,” says House. It is also essential to cut the lawn with a sharp blade, so the ends of the grass blades are not damaged. Lawnmower blades may need to be sharpened two or three times per season, says Sequin. You also need to recognize when your lawn needs water. Well-shaded lawns with good clay soils will hold moisture very well and may not need to be watered at all, while lawns that receive full sun and have poor quality soil may need regular soakings. Most lawn experts recommend watering the lawn once a week with up to an inch of water, less if it rains. Early morning is the best time for watering to maximize the amount of water that soaks into the lawn. “The next thing you need to do is break up the thatch layer to allow the water and nutrients to get down to the roots,” says House. Thatch is the CONTINUED ON PAGE 27 Summer 2008 Sudbury Living The By Laura Mucklow here’s nothing like the feel of soft grass under bare feet and the peace of mind knowing it is safe for children to experience this summer pleasure. For lawns, as with many other things in life, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Going pesticide-free means changing the way we manage our lawns, rather than a simple substitution of products. “You need to create an environment that isn’t hospitable to the bugs and weeds in the ﬁrst place,” says Mike House, owner of Nutri-lawn Sudbury, which offers a pesticide-free program called Organics Plus. “The best weed control is a thick, healthy lawn.” Hubert Seguin is the owner of the Greater Sudbury franchise of Turf Logic, an entirely pesticide-free lawn care company. He says people need to have a good dose of patience and a little bit of tolerance for less than perfect conditions. House and Seguin both agree that poor soil quality is one of the biggest problems with most residential lawns in Sudbury. Seguin recommends getting the soil tested for acidity, nutrients and organic matter as a ﬁrst step. Based on the results of the soil tests, he personalizes lawn treatment programs for his customers. To offset the typically low nutrient quality of residential soils in Sudbury, House recommends applying fertilizer every six to eight weeks during the growing season. Seguin says acidic soils may also beneﬁt from lime applications. “Fertilizer that’s classiﬁed as organic has to be made from 100 percent plant or animal matter,” explains House. Nutri-lawn uses an odour-free composted cattle manure product and a liquid beet extract called Juicy Lawn that has a very high nutrient content. T “The best weed control is a thick, healthy lawn.”says Mike House, owner of Nutri-lawn Sudbury, which offers a pesticidefree program called Organics Plus. 23

Sudbury Living - Summer 2008

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