MARK CULLEN: Early Spring ‘To Do’ List

While it is difficult to know where to start where garden chores are concerned this time of year, I am about to provide clarity and eliminate that excuse for ignoring the topic.

Here is precisely where you should start.

Hose the place down.  I am not in favour of the indiscriminate use of tap water.  Hosing down the driveway is not on this list, not when a stiff broom does the job very nicely.

I suggest that you dilute the invisible salt spray on the plants out by your boulevard by giving them a soaking with a stiff stream of water delivered from the end of the hose.  Also soak down the plants along the walk leading up to the house and anything else that may have been exposed to the damaging effects of salt.

Your lawn requires attention.  Wear flat soled shoes and using a broad leaf rake (not a hard garden rake) remove the winter debris that sits loosely on the lawn and get the grass blades to stand up on end.  This will open up the crowns of the grass plants and increase the circulation of fresh air. The result will be less snow mould and powdery mildew, and a faster, more vigorous green up.

Aerate if necessary, but it is not always necessary to aerate. It is only helpful to aerate your lawn if there are patches that receive heavy foot traffic. Or if you grow your lawn on heavy clay with a shallow layer of top soil for grass plants to root in.

Fertilize your lawn with a quality product that contains slow release nitrogen (SCU).  It is true that cheap lawn food is out there just as there is cheap ice cream that does not contain milk or cream.  You will get what you pay for and where lawn fertilizer is concerned a ‘quality product’ will provide benefits for up to 10 weeks vs. 3 or 4 weeks with many bargain brands.  I only use Golfgreen Lawn Fertilizer on my lawn.

An early application of quality lawn fertilizer helps to reduce your work later on by thickening it.  A thick lawn shades out lawn weeds before they germinate and put down an aggressive root.  The answer to the question, “how do I kill lawn weeds?” is best answered with “You don’t.  You prevent them by growing strong, healthy grass.”

Overseed your lawn.  Thicken your lawn with a 3 cm layer of lawn soil or triple mix (equal parts peat/loam/compost) and spread quality grass seed over the triple mix at the rate of one kg per 100 sq. meters.

Overseeding your lawn is an important part of your weed control tool box.  Thickening your lawn today is the equivalent of pulling the weed bar over your lawn a generation ago.  Both exercises are done to eliminate weeds.  The weed bar killed them; the new grass seed will squeeze them out before they germinate.

You can overseed and fertilize your lawn on the same day, providing that the fertilizer contains the aforementioned slow release nitrogen.

It is worth noting here that you should remember to cut your lawn 7 to 8 cm high as this too will squeeze weeds out of existence.  Your taller, healthier lawn will shade out young weed seedlings and your lawn will be more drought-tolerant come summer.

Mark Cullen appears on Canada AM every Wednesday morning at 8:40.  He is spokesperson for Home Hardware Lawn and Garden.  Sign up for his free monthly newsletter at www.markcullen.com.