Lawn Care Tips

What you should know about your lawn.

Fertilization is an essential part of a comprehensive lawn care plan. Not only is a well-fertilized lawn healthier and greener, it is also far better at preventing weed infestation, disease, and drought. As an added bonus, healthy lawns give back to the environment by producing oxygen, cooling the air during hot weather, and trapping and absorbing urban dust and pollution.

Our premium, golf course-quality mixture feeds your lawn gradually, and only when it needs it. This allows grass plants to feed over an extended period, rather than feast all at once.

Our exclusive, high-quality blend is made from naturally-occurring ingredients that aid in plant growth, keep grass looking green and healthy, assist in root development, and increase winter hardiness and resistance to disease and drought.

There are two advantages to slow-release nitrogen:

1. The nitrogen is made available to the plant as the plant needs it, over an 8-week period. With a fast-release fertilizer, it’s either feast or famine for the plant.
2. Since the fertilizer is used gradually, very little is wasted.

Weed control

They’re pesky, stubborn, and seem to provoke a never-ending battle.

From traditional weed control products to newer, more progressive tools, PK Gazon professionals use the best, most effective weed control products. Our equipment is calibrated to apply the proper amount of product to control weeds, and works best when combined with other services, as well as proper lawn care maintenance.

Health and Safety

PK Grass takes your family’s safety very seriously. We also care about the safety of our employees and technicians. That’s why we strictly adhere to all applicable Canadian Regulations. All weed control products registered for use in Canada are ‘contact’ products, meaning that the product must come into direct contact with the weed in order to be effective. Weed control products used by PK Grass are tested and registered by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency, and applied by licensed, trained professionals.

Get the Most Out of PK Grass Weed Control Service:

After application, keep kids and pets off the lawn until it is dry.

Although the weed control will usually be effective even if it rains within a few hours, watering your lawn should be postponed until the next day.

Wait at least 48 hours to mow. Otherwise, you may cut weeds off before the product has properly absorbed into the entire plant system.

Be patient! Weed control takes time, and sometimes multiple applications are necessary. However, when combined in a comprehensive lawn care program, you will see a dramatic reduction in broadleaf weeds growing in your yard over time.

Be proactive! Keep your lawn properly fed, cut, and watered. Aeration, Overseeding and

compost are also effective ways to boost your lawn’s health.

Insect Control

There is suppose to be a natural balance between insects, natural predators and food supply. But if something – like a change in the weather pattern – happens to change that balance, then insect populations increase and may cause extensive damage. Insect damage will be particularly severe in thin, dry, or weed-infested lawns.

AN ESSENTIAL STEP: DIAGNOSIS

PK Grass Surface Insect Control should begin once the early signs of injury are observed, or when significant numbers of insects are found on the lawn. Since some insects can only be controlled at certain times during their life cycles, it is essential to know:

1. The insect responsible for the damage;
2. The life cycle of that insect;
3. The level of infestation.

If left unchecked, turf insects such as Chinch Bugs, Sod Webworms and Cutworms can cause considerable damage to your lawn. Surface Insect Control begins with the identification of the insect causing damage to the lawn. Because some insects can only be controlled at certain times during their life cycles, PK Grass Lawn Care technicians are trained to identify the insect responsible for the damage, the specific life cycle of that insect and the exact level of infestation.

PK Grass employees are carefully trained to diagnose insect damage in your region. This knowledge is  parlayed into a customized program that is applied only when and where needed.

Applications may be necessary when damage history is apparent and/or threshold infestations have threatened the overall health of the lawn. After watering in treatment, people and pets may play on the lawn after 24 hours or when dry.

Beautiful yards are created by providing the best growing conditions based on a solid foundation of inputs such as fertilizers, water, seed and control products, when necessary. Core Aeration – which can be performed in the spring or fall – improves your lawn’s health and beauty, optimizes root development, and reduces thatch and associated problems.

It also deepens your lawn’s root system for greater resistance to disease, insects, drought and heat stress; improves drainage; and improves air, fertilizer, and water movement. It can also help reduce water usage. Overseeding is often performed in conjunction with core aeration.

WHEN SHOULD I AERATE MY LAWN?

Depending on what part of the country you live, soil conditions & grass type the right time to aerate may vary. Typically the spring and fall are the most ideal times to aerate as the cooler temperatures, paired with rain can improve results. Please contact your PK Gazon professional to determine what works best for your lawn.

HOW DOES AERATION HELP MY LAWN?

It might have a fancy name, but Mechanical Core Aeration is simple, and can make a huge difference in the health of your lawn. This process removes soil cores and thatching from your lawn, leaving little holes in it for water, grass seed, and fertilizer to enter. This re-oxygenates the sub-surface of your lawn, breathing new life into its entire plant system.

Overseeding

Our PK Gazon professional can help you determine where and when your lawn could benefit from overseeding new seedlings into existing turf to promote overall turf health and development. They can also tell you if a more detailed turf renovation job is needed in order to replace old, worn-out grass with a more tolerant variety.

Newly seeded lawns need to be watered daily to keep seeded areas moist. This is a must for maximum results. Results can also be improved by combining Overseeding with a Top Dressing service.

Watering is the biggest component of getting your seed to germinate, as seeds require up to 4 weeks of daily watering ensuring that they stay moist. If the seed dries out at any time after you have started watering it, it will die. Some tips for seeding include:

• The best time to seed is in the fall when the soil temperatures are warm and nights are cooler

• Soil temperatures must be above 55 degrees F in order for the seed to germinate

• Combining overseeding with mechanical core aeration or top dressing service will ensure the seed makes contact with the soil, which is essential for successful grass growth

• Water daily for 15 – 20 minutes in order to keep the seed moist, especially if there is no supplemental water from natural rainfall

GRUBS

Also known as European Chafers, May Beetles or June Bugs – White Grubs are small, plump, white larvae that viciously chew on grassroots. They live below the soil surface and actually chew off the roots of the grass. When the grassroots have been destroyed, the lawn will appear yellow in patches, as if the lawn was experiencing drought.

With this being said, PK Grass Lawn Care customers mistakenly assume that the lawn only needs water to restore it to a lush, green appearance. Other symptoms to watch for include: animals, like skunks and raccoons, digging up the lawn and birds feeding on grubs, leaving pencil-sized holes in your yard. Often, damaged turf will roll back like a carpet.

LIFE CYCLE

To control an insect population, we must understand its habits and life cycle. Some Grubs complete their life cycle in one year, while others require three years to complete their life cycle. White Grubs survive the winter as larvae in the soil and in the early spring, the Grubs begin to feed again. Later in the spring and summer, they enter a resting stage (pupae) then hatch into adult beetles.

Did you know? A lot of beetles in your yard can mean a Grub problem later. These beetles will not damage your lawn however, they will lay their eggs which hatch into grub larvae. The larvae feed voraciously, which results in the yellowing of your lawn.

Serious damage can occur in the spring, summer, and fall. If the problem is ignored, the patches will only get larger. The damaged areas will then fill in with weeds or Crabgrass. The best time to treat grubs is when they are very young before you are faced with severe damage.

CONTROLLING GRUBS

If damage has already occurred, your licensed PK Grass Lawn Care professional can still treat your lawn for actively feeding Grubs. White Grub treatment must be watered in to be effective, and treatments vary depending on regulations in your local region.

The treatment will not revive the damaged grass nor will it prevent skunks from digging in your lawn for a Grub snack. Overseeding is recommended in these areas.

WHAT ARE CHINCH BUGS?

Chinch Bugs are small insects which live in and feed on lawn grasses. They live above the soil and feed on living grass plants by means of a piercing mouthpart called a stylet (similar to a mosquito). The insect inserts its stylet into the leaves, stems, or crowns of the lawn grasses and sucks the juices out of the plant. The damage looks quite similar to drought symptoms, but of course, watering does not remedy the problem.

Chinch Bugs can be a source of ongoing frustration for homeowners, simply because they are so difficult to detect. The damage they cause often mimics other, less serious issues, such as dryness and dog spot. Unfortunately, leaving Chinch Bug damage undiagnosed for too long can lead to complete turf destruction in a matter of weeks – meaning expensive and unexpected lawn repairs in your future. Thankfully, PK Gazon has got you covered.

HOW DO I TREAT FOR CHINCH BUGS?

Promptly treating potentially devastating Chinch Bug infestations can help protect the investment you have made in a lawn care program and your property. If you notice suspicious brown patches starting to appear in the lawn, do not hesitate. Call your PK Gazon Professional for a free Healthy Lawn Analysis. PK Gazon can verify the presence of a potentially damaging infestation, discuss preventative measures, and recommend treatment if required. Consult with your PK Gazon Professional to discuss all options with respect to dealing with insects in your lawn.