How To Maintain A Healthy Lawn In Calgary

A beautiful lawn is necessary for curb appeal of a home. It not only beautifies but also

provide a healthy environment to stay. A marvelous lawn depends on quality of sod and the

level of hard work done to take its care.

There is no better technique to enhance lawn beauty other than improving the soil before sod

installation. Loam soil is considered best for producing a high yield and low maintenance

lawn. The soil depth should be 4- 6 inches. A graceful and a healthy lawn is a desire for one

and all. It needs to maintained from the first day itself for good results.

Steps to follow for lawn maintenance:

1. Clear the site: The first thing that should be prioritized is cleaning the site for any

building materials such as wood, cement, buried stones or other debris. The dried leaves

should also be picked or removed for a clean and appealing look.

2. Rough grade the entire area: To provide a plain ground level and to avoid any

excessive water drainage problem inside the lawn, you need to fill the low lying areas of the

yard. A tractor-mounted blade is often used for rough grading an entire area. If the lawn is

smaller, then it can be graded using hand tools. This technique is done to uncover debris that

should be removed instead of burying.

3. Eliminate weeds: Weeds are the unwanted plants that take away the nutrition necessary

for sod growth. They grow very fast as compared to grass. It is recommended to spray the

sodded area before initial tilling with a non selective herbicide. After tilling, fertilize the s oil

and water the lawn to encourage new weed growth. Allow the weeds to grow at their speed.

After two weeks, spray the herbicides for the second time aiming to remove their entire

generation.

4. Initial tilling: The good depth to install sod and turf grass is at least 3- 4 inches deep. Till

the soil for about 5 cm to add any topsoil or soil modification. This will control the weed

growth, alleviate soil compaction and bond the topsoil to the subsoil to improve water

movement and root penetration.

5. Test the soil pH: pH testing is necessary to check the quality of soil. It is a chemical test

that determine, if any correction materials are required to improve the quality of soil. pH

levels range from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral, below 7 is acidic and above 7 is alkaline. The

optimal pH required for good growth of plants and grass is between 5.5 and 7.0. Acidic soils

can be improved by adding lime and alkaline soils can be improved with addition of sulfur or

gypsum.

6. Fertilize and aerate: Fertilizers provide proper nutrition used for growth. It is advised to

use a fertilizer that is high in phosphate. Don't use it in excess, as it can lead to grass

decaying. Before applying fertilizers, aerate the yard. Aeration is a technique of removing or

pumping holes to the upper tough layer of soil, so as to allow water and air to reach till the

roots of grass. After aerating, fertilize the yard so that good amount of nutrients can reach it.

A cultivated sod grass can allow you to own an instantly beautiful lawn without any time-

consuming hassles of seeding or springing. When purchasing turf or sod, consult a lawn care

professional to be assured of buying a fine quality grass. The Lawnfather, is one of the

largest lawn maintenance company in Calgary that specializes in lawn care, landscaping

and snow removal services in Canada.