Healthy lawn tips to keep pests and weeds away

(NC)—From Health Canada, take a look at this snapshot from its website fact sheet Healthy Lawn Tips:

1. Although it may look untidy, leave grass clippings on your lawn when you mow it to provide nutrient recycling.

2. Aerate compacted soil in the fall to help oxygen, water and nutrients reach roots.

3. Over-seed patchy areas in difficult spots.

4. In heavy traffic areas replace grass with mulch or paving stones.

5. Check your lawn for early signs of pests and other problems such as holes caused by small animals digging for insects.

6. Set your mower so that your grass is 7 to 8 centimetres high to encourage deeper roots and help fend off weeds.

7. Water infrequently, but when you do, make sure you allow the water to get deep into the soil (about 1.5 centimetres) to promote deep roots. Over-watering starves the soil of oxygen and invites disease. Apply at least 2.5 centimetres of water. Put a container on your lawn to measure how much you've watered. An empty tuna can is about the right height.

8. Maintain good soil with ample depth and organic matter to prevent problems.

9. If physical control methods fail and you use a pesticide, be sure the one you pick lists the pest you are trying to control on the label, and follow all the instructions on the label to use it safely.

More information is available online at www.health.gc.ca/pmra. Fact sheets include Starting a Lawn, Lawn Maintenance, Life of a Lawn and Common Lawn Problems.

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