There are lots of questions this time of year with regards to weeds that have made their way onto home owners lawns. As you may have heard before, the best defense to any weeds is a healthy lawn. Weeds, unlike our cool season lawns, tend to start performing now with the arrival of warmer summer weather that we see following the May Long Weekend here in Ontario. So now is the time we have to start paying special attention to some of those things that favor your lawn’s success over any weeds that may be trying to establish. If the lawn is fertilized regularly, irrigated properly, and mowed accurately, any weed seeds that may be present, will not get the opportunity to germinate because the lawn is stronger and in better health.
A common myth that we hear often from the field is that my weeds are a result of my neighbours weeds, because they don’t do anything to look after their lawn. This in fact is not the case, your weeds are your weeds, and your neighbours weeds are your neighbours weeds. While the seeds may travel around, the weeds themselves do not. Weed seeds actually need any opportunity to germinate where they fall, so the trick is to not give them the ability to germinate, which is why it is so important to have a thick lawn starving the waiting seed of sunlight, while providing sufficient competition from the lawn around them. It is when the seed finds that space to germinate at this time of year that it is able to thrive as the temperatures start to increase.
So when and how are weeds best dealt with if I see them in my lawn? This answer unfortunately is no longer as simple as ‘we just treat them’. As stated already we start with ensuring that the lawn is properly watered & mowed along with the support of our custom blended fertilizer all year round contributing to 80% of the weed control you are seeking. Watering once to twice a week providing one inch of water to the lawn each time, and mowing regularly no shorter than 3 inches will aid in creating a favourable environment for your lawn’s growth versus your weeds. Our Fiesta ™ applications that were discussed in last week’s email start in the late spring, and can help further assist the tougher weeds that still persist within a healthy lawn. Temperature is also something to consider later in the summer where your lawn, which favours cool season temperatures, will be under quite a bit of stress. Fiesta is typically not applied when temperatures start to see 32 degrees to avoid causing too much additional stress to the lawn. This is also why our Fiesta only application is performed either in the late spring or late summer/fall. It lowers the weeds defense system at the same time the lawn is in its best condition to over grow them and accept more aggressive Fiesta applications.
Curious to learn more about our programs or our recommended maintenance practises? You can visit our website any time or contact our office.
