Horticultural Calendar

HORTICULTURAL CALENDAR FOR YOUR LAWN 

At Groupe Jardins Brossard, our goal is to maximize the quality and appearance of your lawn with our nutrient solutions in conjunction with your lawn care practices. Here’s a calendar to help you take good care of your lawn.  

April 

  1. Avoid walking on your wet lawn.
  2. For people living on main roads where a lot of salt is applied during the winter, irrigate abundantly to dilute the concentration of salt on your lawn.
  3. Check for grubs. A sign of infestation is excavation made by skunks and/or lots of birds on your lawn or those of your neighbors.
  4. Sharpen your lawnmower blades.
  5. After a dry spring, irrigate your lawn.

 

May 

  1. Rake the lawn with a leaf rake as soon as you can walk on it without leaving footprints.
  2. Check thickness of thatch or felt; if more than 1/2″ or 1.25 cm, perform mechanical dethatching.
  3. Repair damaged lawn areas with garden soil and high-quality seed.
  4. Topdress; this involves spreading a thin layer (.5 to 1 cm) of top-quality garden soil over the entire lawn, usually following aeration. If the lawn is sparse, you can add seed.
  5. Cut the lawn to a height of 2.5″ or 6.25 cm, remembering the principle that you should never remove more than a third of the lawn’s length when mowing. If the lawn is too long, cut it in two stages a few days apart.
  6. Fertilize the lawn.
  7. Treat for crabgrass and oxalis, if you haven’t seeded.
  8. If you have new plantings, a cedar hedge, small trees and/or diseased trees, this is the best time to fertilize them.

 

June 

  1. Fertilize lawn.
  2. Irrigate as needed, 1″ or 2.5 cm of water per week in one or two applications depending on soil type and thickness.
  3. Cut the lawn to a height of 3″ or 7.5 cm as soon as the temperature starts to warm up.
  4. If you cut your lawn regularly, it’s best to herbicycle, i.e. don’t collect the clippings but rather mulch them with the mower. During this operation, there should be no visible “clumps” of cut grass.

 

July 

  1. Fertilize the lawn. Be careful not to burn it!
  2. Irrigate as needed, 1″ or 2.5 cm of water per week in one or two applications depending on soil type and thickness.
  3. Cut the lawn to a height of 3″ or 7.5 cm. Avoid walking on the lawn or cutting it in very hot weather.
  4. Treat for white grubs if:
  5. a) you have noticed damage on your property or in your neighborhood in April-May and/or
  6. b) if you notice beetles in your trees at dusk in early July.
  7. Bug detection. Does your lawn have yellow patches? If it’s completely yellow, it’s probably due to drought.

 

 

August 

  1. Sharpen your lawnmower blades.
  2. Irrigate as needed, 1″ or 2.5 cm of water per week in one or two applications depending on soil type and thickness.
  3. Cut the lawn to a height of 3″ or 7.5 cm. Avoid walking on or cutting the lawn in very hot weather.

 

September 

  1. Fertilize lawn.
  2. Aerate your lawn.
  3. Irrigate as needed, 1″ or 2.5 cm of water per week in one or two applications depending on soil type and thickness.
  4. Identify areas of crabgrass and oxalis. Plan a solution to this problem with your lawn treatment specialist.
  5. Repair areas of damaged lawn with top-quality garden soil and seed.
  6. When lawns grow more slowly and temperatures are cooler, fall is an excellent time to topdress. This involves spreading a thin layer (.5 to 1 cm) of top-quality garden soil over the entire lawn, usually following aeration. If the lawn is sparse, you can add seed.
  7. Cut the lawn to a height of 3″ or 7.5 cm.
  8. Do a PH test if your lawn hasn’t responded to the fertilization treatment, your land may need a lime treatment.

 

October 

  1. For those who want a little more, consult your lawn care specialist, as a good late fall fertilization will further improve spring results.
  2. Cut the lawn to a height of 3″ or 7.5 cm.
  3. Remember that the last cut of the season should be shorter and very late (Late October or early November), about 2″ inches or 5 cm.
  4. If you live near a field or vacant lot, install field mouse traps. These products are available from garden centers. Results are not 100% guaranteed, but it’s a low-cost insurance policy.
  5. Renew your snow removal contract.

 

November 

  1. Rake leaves
  2. Winterize your lawnmower
Undesirable animals
Good water management