Winter is nearly over and our favourite time of year is just around the corner! At five-star landscaping, we love spring. Spring is the season where there is so much work to be done. All the fundamental foundational work for a healthy happy lawn is done in spring. We know that Calgarians are familiar with a lot of this spring clean up and lawn care. Most Calgary folks know that they need to rake and seed any bare patches, but we wanted to share a couple of the chores you may not know about!
Dethatching is the process of removing thatch. Thatch simply refers to any dead or decaying plant material caught between the soil and the living, growing grass. Too much thatch, and your grass will feel smothered and be unable to thrive. That’s because this layer of dead plant material actually prevent moisture, nutrients, and air from reaching the soil. When you run a rake over your lawn, what you’re pulling away is thatch! Raking is a simple form of dethatching. However, a rake isn’t the best tool and a lot of plant matter is left behind. At Five-Star we use a power rake. Our power rake is designed to pull out every little bit of thatch, so that it can easily be picked up and disposed of. Without the smothering thatch, your lawn will be better able to fight off insect and disease. After a dethatching, there will be less fertilizer and rain runoff, and there will be more nutrients available to your grass. All in all, dethatching leads to a greener and more luscious lawn.
Aeration is the natural process that exchanges air trapped within the soil with air in the atmosphere. However, lawns often become compact and can no longer aerate properly. In order to solve this problem, aeration took on a new meaning — the process of mechanically removing small plugs of soil (and any present thatch). Core aeration as it’s commonly called, leaves your lawn covered in these small clumps of soil, but they’ll all work their way back into the ground within a week or two. In the mean time, the little holes left behind will fill with water helping your grass to grow green and healthy. Natural aeration will remain improved long after the plugs have disappeared, run off will be reduced, and your grass will be better able to survive times of drought.
A professional spring cleaning by Calgary’s landscaping experts is just what your lawn needs after this long, cold winter. Schedule your spring cleaning today by calling Five-Star at 403-203-4058.
