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Five Steps to a Healthy Lawn
by News Canada

Description: Tips for growing a greener, healthier lawn.

(NC) - Just follow these 5 easy steps to keep your lawn at its best:

1. Start with a good soil preparation. If you're starting a new lawn, you'll never regret the investment you make now in improving the soil. Grass grows best in a well-drained blend of topsoil, sand and organic matter several inches deep. Remove any hard packed patches and rake out old thatch to allow the grass to "breathe". Top up with a specially formulated soil for lawns such as C-I-L Triple Mix Plus. It contains composted manure, peat, as well as fertilizer for improved root development.

2. Overseed your lawn every year. Mark Cullen, one of Canada's leading gardening experts, recommends over-seeding your lawn each spring with a quality grass seed. "I do this every spring to help fill in bare spots in my lawn. Overseeding helps reduce weeds too."

3. Fertilize 4 times every year. Many people only fertilize their lawn in the spring, however your lawn needs a steady supply of nutrients throughout the season to stay green and healthy. In particular, don't forget the fall fertilizer application. It's one of the most important feedings. Cullen recommends applying fall fertilizer in September or October to strengthen your lawn over winter and give it a jump start in the spring.

4. Control broadleaf weeds. Weeds compete with grass for soil nutrients... and they usually win. If your lawn only has a few weeds, you can pull then by hand. But if your lawn is over-run with weeds, then Cullen recommends an application of Lawn WeedOut in May, June or September to bring weeds under control.

5. Control insects. White grubs, chinch bugs, leather-jackets, ants and many common insects could destroy your lawn if conditions favour them. If necessary, apply a lawn insect control product such as GrubOut.