Lawns add a lot of value to our lives. As Leenan Property Management experts says healthy
lawn provides a great space for pets to frolic, children to play and adults to lounge or entertain
guests. But to keep getting the best from the lawn in your Edmonton or Greater Edmonton home,
you need to care for it promptly.
The following checklist provides the information you need to care for your lawn. The list is
divided into four sections, covering lawn-care steps for each season.
Spring lawn care checklist
Let it dry: Resist the temptation to start lawn care as soon as the lawn appears. Although
your lawn is now visible, it will be too frozen or wet to work on.
Dethatch your lawn: The dead layer of grass, or thatch, protects the roots of the new
growth. But you want to keep it at about one centimeter in thickness.
Aerate the lawn: Mid-spring is the best time to aerate your Edmonton lawn, especially if
you didn’t do it in the fall. Aeration will let more oxygen get into the layers of soil.
Over-seed and top-dress: Over-seeding ensures you have a full thick lawn with no
room for weeds. Rake a thin layer of quality top-dressing soil over your seed.
Patch up: If patches of lawn look worse for wear, be more liberal with over-seeding in
those areas. Keep the over-seeded areas moist until you see good healthy growth.
Talk to Unicutter – Edmonton’s top-rated residential, commercial and industrial lawn care
services – for treatment specified for your lawn’s needs.
Summer lawn care checklist
A. Raise mower blades: The condition of your lawn determines if you should do weekly
or bi-weekly mowing. Cutting the grass to low-stress the lawn. Taller grass protects the
soil.
B. Sharpen mower blades: When adjusting the mower height, ensure the blades are sharp
enough. Dull blades will tear up the grass; you don’t want that.
C. Get professional advice: Lawn health also depends on the frequency of mowing –
weekly or bi-weekly. Unicutter offers scheduled and one-time mowing according to your
needs.
D. Patch bare areas: Cool-season grass may look a little brown; don’t mow them too
much. Seed bare areas to prevent weeds. Now is the time to kill any grubs you find on the
lawn.
E. Water weekly: Water the lawn if it looks brown for longer than a week. Don’t exceed a
quarter-inch of water. If the grass still looks dull, it could have lawn disease.
Unicutter provides shrub & tree hedging and trimming that adds a dimension of care (shaping,
pruning and fertilizing) that is hard to achieve as an amateur.
Fall Lawn Care Checklist
I. Continue mowing the lawn: Although the grass is not growing as fast, it has not
achieved full dormancy yet. Maintain proper mowing height to prepare the grass for
winter.
II. Remove leaves: Don’t leave fallen leaves on the lawn. They will block out the sunlight,
trap moisture and leave you with bare patches of dead grass. This promotes disease.
III. Aerate: Aerate your lawn to reduce soil compaction and thatch. Too much thatch will
prevent oxygen, nutrients and water from reaching the roots of the grass.
IV. Over-seed with grass seed: If you have cool-season grass, over-seed the lawn to repair
bare patches. Do this after aeration to ensure good contact with the soil.
V. Fertilize: The best time to put down fall fertilizer is late October or early November.
Apply a quick-release nitrogen blend after the final mowing.
VI. Weed control: Early spring is the best time to deal with annual weeds like spurge and
crabgrass. But for perennial weeds, after the first light frost in fall is the best time.
VII. Irrigation: Grass growth has slowed, but your lawn has not stopped needing
water. Continue watering until the first freeze.
VIII. Expert fall cleanup: Unicutter’s lawn care service includes comprehensive
cleanup for various sizes of businesses and homes across the Edmonton and Edmonton
greater area.
Winter lawn care checklist
a) Do not water: Lawn grass needs to go into winter dry. Do not water to keep ice from
smothering grassroots. It will also let your grass acclimatize to winter.
b) Bag the last clippings: Leave the grass about two inches tall and bag your last cut for
use in the next growing season after composting it.
c) Fertilize: Wait until the grass has stopped growing before you apply fertilizer to avoid
stimulating growth. Fertilize when daytime temperatures fall to 5-7 C.
d) Over-seed and top-dress: Spread seed after freeze-up to avoid seed germination.
Overseeding will discourage weeds and prevent moisture loss. Top-dressing will improve
grading and reduce ice buildup.
If you have questions about any part of this checklist, our professional staff will be happy to talk
to you. They will work with you through the entire process of planning and applying the best
lawn care for your home or business premises. Talk to us today.
