Friday, July 2, 2010

Plantain-Sign of a weak lawn

Plantain is a weed we don't see in well-maintained lawns.

Most often it is found where the soil is compacted and the turf is thin. Here's another case where the plaintain is not the problem but it is really a symptom.

Fix the problem- improve the health of the lawn by improving soil conditions, and increase turf density, then the symptoms will disappear.
www.hamiltonturfking.ca
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Pets peeve lawns

High nitrogren in dog urine will damage lawns especially with the warmer summer weather.

Urea burns lawns. Urea is also a component of some fertilizers as it does contain nitrogen. Nitrogen is the first number on a bag of fertilizer. It helps turf to grow and be green. But too much is harmful. As the urea starts to dissipate, you may see the lawn become greener in spots.

How to reduce dog urine damage?
The best way is to train your dog to do its business off the lawn. My son's dog uses a patch of gravel. No harm done to the lawn.

One pet store owner claimed that with the right dog food, lawn damage was eliminated. She did not specify which type of diet worked.

Failing that or during the training process, dilute the urine as soon as possible with water. Easier said than done, but there will be less urea in one spot.

Some people have had sucess with gypsum. Gypsum counteracts the excessive "salts" in urine that cause the lawn burn. Gypsum needs to be applied about every 4-6 weeks.

Keeping your lawn healthy-while not a cure or prevention per se, does reduce the damage- in that a healthy lawn with a strong root system will suffer less and recover faster.

I keep telling people that "regular, professional applications of our Turf King 75% slow release, top quality, granular, lawn fertilizer will greatly improve and then maintain your lawn's health, density and greenness. Call Turf King, The King of Green.

905.318.6677
www.hamiltonturfking.ca

www.hamiltonturfking.ca
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