28 - pounday. April 11, 199 oi Shore News

Lawn Care Made Easy!

Having a lush green lawn does not have to be a fot of work. The truth is, most homeowners become overzealous at the first sign of summer. They over- water, overfertilize and overcut. Follow " these simple tips and you could end up spending more time enjoying your lawn and less time tending to it.

Why Make More Work for Yourself?

Instead of bagging grass clippings, leave them on the lawn or add them to your compost bin. It's a lot less work for you and it will reuse the nutrients for the grass left behind.

The Thatch Myth Thatch, a buildup of grass roots and " stems, is actually caused by over-fertiliz- _ ing.and over-watering. It is not caused by leaving lawn clippings on the lawn.

Give Your Rake A Break:

~ Don’t bother raking and bagging your grass clippings. Decomposing grass clip- pings. provide. important nutrients and _ reduce the need for fertilizers and pesti- cides. Clippings are essentially slow-

release fertilizers, returning these nutri- ents back to the soil and your lawn. Try mowing late in the day so the clippings will settle overnight. Within a few days they'll diszppear entirely.

Short Grass Belongs On The Golf Course - Grasscycle

Let your grass grow longer than usual. Mew to a height of 6 cm., or about 2.5 to 3 inches and create a healthier root system. Mowing once every five or six days during the peak growing season is sufficient. And

when you cut, only take off the top third.

~~ COMPOST BASED TOPSOIL & MULCH PRODUCTS

@ Fraser Richmond Bio-Cycle is proud to be part of the recycling solution for the North

~ Shore program.

Please help us keep our soil clean by not

putting animal waste

- Vardwaste collections.

" 'e GARDEN & TURF BLENDS ° COMPOST SOIL AMENDMENTS * COMPOSTED BARK MULCH

a) HEMLOCK & FIR BARK MULCH .

in the curbside

© BARK NUGGETS

© TRAIL MULCH

® LAB TESTED COMPOST PRODUCTS

NORTH SHORE 924-0261

Mow It Tall And Let It Fall

Ever find yourself going “round and round” in circles? Well, when it comes to mowing that's the way to go. Start mow- ing from the outside of your yard and work your way in.

Take the grass catcher off and let the grass fall. Use the excess grass in the cen- tre of the lawn for mulch or add it to your compost bin. If you prefer, add a trap door to your mower to catch and cut your clippings into smaller, more easily spread pieces.

More Mowing Tips Always use a sharp mower blade and mow when the grass is dry.

Add A Little Grass To Your Composter

If you have too much grass to leave on the lawn add some to your composter. The recipe is simple: layer one part grass clippings and one part dead leaves. You'll create a nutrient-rich soil amendment to feed your lawn.

Spread it Around

The life span of grass doesn’t end after the weekly mow. Try collecting the clippings and spreading them on your weeded flowers or vegetables. (Do not

you look at all the bags of grass anid 13 ve it seems to create for you year after year? Like to shed a few of those wet, soggy

pounds and gain something valuable in|

return?

A simple invention that performs this magic is a backyard composter.

A typical backyard composter is capable of turning 250 kilograms (550 pounds) of yard trimmings and kitchen scraps cach year into rich, black humus, which is essen- tially soil without any sand or small rocks.

use clippings that have been treated by pesticides.) Clippings make a natural muich. They prevent moisture loss, add important nutrients and provide natural weed control and encourage soil aera- tion by earthworms.

fertilizer and soil amendment cos! Backyard composters are powerful |

Many North Shore residents’ already know this as a recent survey confirrned over. 509 of households already compost in their yard (in tixe last eight years, the NSRP has. distributed over 13,000 backyard com- posters to North Shore residents)...