Spring is finally upon us! Woohoo!
As we begin to make our way into April and spend more time outside we wanted to remind you that it is time to begin working on your lawn. If you have a leaf blower or a light fan rake, now is the time to loosen any matted grass after a winter of significant snow cover in many regions of Ontario. Now while a leaf rake works well for doing this, we also suggest using your leaf blower if you have one as it is less invasive on the plant crowns and will help reduce any more plant injury. It is also important to remove any other debris such as leaves, large sticks, or any possible toys that may have been missed in your fall clean up. We want to ensure the lawn is clean and clear to encourage better growth and a faster recovery by allowing needed air circulation into the soil surface.
As you are inspecting your lawn you may notice a few areas of light grey/tan to pink patches. This dead matted grass is referred to as a winter disease called snow mold. It develops after being wet for long periods of time beneath the snow and ice of winter. The best approach to help these areas as well is to ensure you loosen the matted grass and allow air into the root zone, the best method again is hit them with your leaf blower to encourage drying out and not to rake them as it can add further damage to the already struggling area. This damage is usually only temporary and with a bit of time and care they usually repair quickly with the rest of the lawn as things warm up.
