Home & Garden

- 03 garden Home 2014 & Winnipeg'slargestselectionof outdoor indoor Furniture 120McPhillipsSt. P:204.779.2900 WickerWorld.ca Visitour24,000sq.footshowroom! Enteronlinefor achancetoWIN anAdirondackchair: WickerWorld.ca/contest & Showyourstyle... Inside&Out After aerating, it's time to consider applying a fertilizer. "Everybody wants to see that green right away, and the best way to do that is by applying a high-nitrogen fertilizer in liquid or granular form. Liquid does work faster and it's easier to apply directly to the lawn," Muys says. As for weeds, they're going to start popping up quickly, so it's best to apply all-natural or traditional treatments early. "Don't wait for dandelions to start blooming," Muys says. "By that time, you want to definitely have an application on. You certainly don't want them going to seed." For ongoing lawn maintenance, Muys advises against cutting your grass too short. In June and September, it's best to maintain a height of about 7.6 centimetres (three inches). In midsummer, grass should be about 10 centimetres (four inches) long. "The moisture is in the blade above the ground, not below the ground. So if you cut it too short, you're essentially starving the plant of moisture. In the heat of July and August, the only way for your lawn to protect itself is to start burning moisture. It's important to keep the plant as hydrated as possible, and the best way for you to do that is to keep it long," he says. "It hides a lot of imperfections in the lawn, and it increases the resistance to disease and insect problems. When the lawn is four inches tall, it's also able to produce hormones that allow it to reproduce itself by sending up new root shoots. You're helping your lawn naturally fill in without having to seed." Kapusta, who co-owns Nutri-Lawn in partnership with his brother Brent, says the company focuses on all-natural products ranging from mosquito to weed control. But again, the healthier the lawn, the fewer weeds you'll have to control. "We have customers with very thick and healthy lawns, like a golf course. They might need to only spray once during the summer," he says. "I had my lawn so thick that your footprint would stay there for over an hour. I never sprayed weed control for three years. If an odd weed would pop up, I would just pull it by hand." Business is booming for all-natural services ahead of Manitoba pesticide restrictions that take effect next January, but there is a bit of sticker shock. "The all-natural product is twice the price as traditional, even for me buying it," Kapusta says. "The average person is going to spend $150 a season. We're actually rolling in a payment plan for the customers so it's not a big shot up front." For the moment, NutriLawn continues to offer traditional weed-control products as well. "We always use them in a safe way. It's a post-emergent product, which means weeds have to be there in order to kill them. When we go to a lawn, we've always spot treated. If the customer has five weeds, that's exactly where we put the product," he says. "My brother and I pride ourselves in being a solutions company. We'll look after the lawn, and all you've got to do is enjoy it." ❙ "everybody wAnts to see thAt green right AwAy, And the best wAy to do thAt is by Applying A high- nitrogen fertilizer in liquid or grAnulAr form."

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