New Homeowners Guide To Summer Lawn Care

We know that a lot of Canadians are buying their first house, or simply moving to a new home through the summer. You’re in this new place, you’ve painted and maybe bought some new furniture and you look out the window to the back yard. What to do with the lawn? Where do you start? How do you improve on what you’ve been given to work with?

You want the lawn and yard to look like the new owners care about this home and this neighbourhood. Don’t let that excitement dwindle or cool. July and August are fairly undemanding months when it comes to lawn care because the heat and drought-like conditions force many lawns into dormancy. But you can get started right now, or just plan ahead so you can handle September like a pro!

Where do you start?

Did you know a well-kept lawn and yard can increase the value of your home by as much as 15%? It’s a fairly easy way to add extra value. You can turn around a bad lawn in a season if you know what to do.

Tools

When you buy your first home, there a million things you realize you don’t have, and often lawn care tools are among those items you’ve never needed to purchase before. Here’s a short list of equipment and supplies to stock up on:

Lawnmower – The size of the lawn, or your comfort with machines, may dictate whether you purchase a gas or electric mower. Some mowers require you to mix the gasoline with engine oil, some take straight gas. Maybe you’re keen on the old fashioned push mowers. Whatever works for you is great, but make sure to sharpen the blades on the mower, especially if you’re buying a used mower. This will cause less damage and stress to the grass when you mow.

Trimmer – A lawn trimmer might not need to be the first tool you buy, but it should definitely be on your list. These are great for trimming the lawn where the mower can’t reach like around flower beds, walkways, patios, trees and other obstacles. Trimming the lawn keeps the lawn looking neat and tidy.

Lawn Seed – Keeping a bag of grass seed is a great idea. You want to wait until fall to overseed because the heat and lower rainfall will make it hard for the grass seed to thrive, but for those spot treatments it is helpful. Removing weeds is something you can do as you have time throughout the summer. Drop a handful of grass seed in the weed’s place. The best way to keep weeds out of your lawn is healthy grass.

Bag Of Soil – Beside the grass seed, keep a bag of triple mix on hand this summer. Triple mix is a combination of equal parts top soil, compost and peat moss. This mixture gives your grass seed the best start possible. When you’re pulling weeds, drop in a handful of triple mix with some grass seed and voila! No more weeds.

Fertilizer – Typically, fertilizer is most effective when applied in spring or fall, but if your new lawn is thin you can spruce things up with a slow release nitrogen formula. You can get mixes that are phosphate free which is better for the environment. Slow release fertilizers only release nutrients when the temperature rises. The activity takes place in the soil each time it rains. So, your lawn only receives additional nutrients when it can best make use of them. Fertilizer is applied incorrectly can do more harm than good. Make sure to consult a professional if you have questions.

Remember that no matter how your new home’s lawn looks right now, it’s probably fixable within a single season if you know what to do. Don’t know what to do? Don’t have the time to get your lawn looking great? Contact the lawn care experts at Nutri-Lawn Burlington to help you identify any problems and provide solutions to make the transition to a beautiful lawn even easier.