So, I know how much you have enjoyed cutting, raking and fertilizing your lawn all summer. It will be hard to say goodbye to that weekly chore but you will get over it; you will be getting out your shovel soon enough.

Just before you put that lawn mower and fertilizer spreader away for another season, I want to share some tips to make your spring lawn care easier. To qualify, I used to be an organic turf manager in another life: lawn care is still a passion of mine.

All summer, you should have been cutting your lawn at 3.0” high and made sure the blades were sharp. You should have returned the grass clippings to the lawn as mulch when possible – 25% of your lawn’s fertilizer can come from grass clippings! However, for the final cut of the season make sure you drop the mowing deck to 2.0” and bag your lawn clippings or compost them. Why? When you mow this low, it makes it easier to rake the leaves and gives a cleaner look for over winter. Give your lawn a good raking not just for leaf removal but to help get rid of some of the thatch that may have built up over the summer.

Your lawn now needs some food; it will be a little peckish come spring time. When all possible, use organic fertilizer, just double up on it to make sure your lawn gets enough nitrogen (food). Once you have spread some organic fertilizer it is now ready for a good lime application. Typically, our soil in this area is more acidic, lime will help sweeten that soil allowing for the roots to absorb more nitrogen (food).

Next, core aeration. What? Yes, core aeration – it lets your lawn breath. You can rent an aerator or call a landscape company – www.aylesnaturallandscaping.com to do it for you. Or do what I do, and use a manual aerator. It is quite a workout but it’s not like I don’t need the exercise! It is a great stress reliever too.

When it’s time to rake the leaves, why not get the kids or grand kids to join in? Many hands make light work and it can be a fun family time. Who am I kidding, raking leaves is nothing but grief: many hands make light work… This is a great time to tell the kids how you raked every yard in the Moncton area whilst staving off coyotes when you were their age; your pay was only a buck fifty. Make sure to bag the leaves and use them for a Halloween or Autumn display at your entrance. Fret not friends, snowmobile season is not far now…

I hope this helps,

Kevin