How to revive your lawn after winter and avoid long-lasting damage: experts
According to experts, winter weather can cause long-lasting damage to your front lawn – the key to a healthy revival lies in a few simple maintenance practices.
The first step is to clear the debris left by the winter conditions.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
“You want to clear debris before grass starts growing in the spring,” Paul Hope of Consumer Reports told CTV News Toronto. “If you have a dense bed of leaves anywhere on your lawn it’s actually going to block out the sunlight and keep the grass from growing properly.”
According to Sara Stricker, researcher with the Guelph Turfgrass Institute, the best thing you can do for your lawn is to overseed. You can use whatever seed is best suited for your lawn.
Hand-weeding and proper fertilization will also help, she said.
No Mow May? Maybe not: expert
While a movement called “No Mow May” has grown in popularity over recent years, Stricker advises against cutting off more than one third of any plant’s length at one time as it can cause stress and damage. The idea was born of a desire to promote flower growth for pollinators, but there are alternative methods that can achieve similar results, she said.
"We’re just saying, consider getting a flower pot,” Stricker said. “Your lawn grows best when it's cut regularly, based on its growth rate.”
Consumer Reports said you may want to raise the mower deck higher to let your grass grow longer as taller grass has deeper roots and you can also set your mower to mulch as the clippings provide nutrients to your lawn.
You should also clear the grass that's stuck under your mower deck and using a silicone spray on the deck can help keep clippings from sticking. If it's been a while since you’ve had your lawn mower blade sharpened it may be worth doing.
The most recent tests by Consumer Reports also found that battery-powered lawn mowers continue to get better each year. Many now have run times of over an hour and you also don't need to mess with oil and gas which is good for the environment and also your wallet.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
A look back on Alberta's record-breaking wildfire season: Preparing for potential challenges in 2024
By the end of the 2023 wildfire season in Alberta, 1,088 wildfires had burned more than 2.2 million hectares of land, and this year, the wildfire season is already in full swing.
BREAKING Craig Berube named as next head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have named Craig Berube as their new head coach.
Video appears to show Sean 'Diddy' Combs beating singer Cassie in hotel hallway in 2016
Security video aired by CNN appears to show Sean 'Diddy' Combs physically assaulting singer Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta border: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Australia's richest woman seeks removal of her portrait from exhibition
Art is subjective. And while many artists long to share their work with the world, there's no guarantee that the audience will understand it, or even like it.
Anglers reel in 3.5-metre-long tiger shark off coast of Florida: 'She found my bait'
A group of fishers said it took roughly 20 minutes to reel in this 3.5-metre-long tiger shark off the coast of Florida.
Scottie Scheffler isn't the first pro golfer to be arrested during a tournament
Scottie Scheffler's arrest hours before his second-round tee time at the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, will go down as one of the most shocking in professional golf history. It certainly wasn't the first, though.