The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Homes and Gardens Supplement of The Canadian Statesman and Newcastle Independent, Wednesday, April 24,1991 Work smarter, not harder, on lawn care this spring You are invited to attend our FREE SEMINAR ©Sometimes, the best route to a beautiful lawn may be to start over. Take an honest look at your lawn and determine whether weeds and diseases diseases make it a candidate for a complete complete makeover. If so, consider killing existing grass with a non-translocating non-translocating herbicide, or removing the old sod. Either will enable you to start over and do it right. If you were pleased with your lawn's looks last year, you'll only need to begin this season's care with a general cleanup. Rake off dead leaves with a flexible steel or bamboo rake and give a first mowing. If the ground is soft and muddy, wait until it firms up. If you must use a roller to even out lumps caused by frost heaving, be sure that the roller is empty -- you don't want to compact the soil, and stunt root growth. If there are low spots, brush sand into them with a bamboo rake .-- if the depressions are deep, add sand gradually as the grass grows to avoid smothering it. Most lawns in the northern part of the country are composed of cool-season cool-season grasses, such as Kentucky blue- grass, bentgrasses, creeping fescues, and perennial ryegrass. Spring is the best time of year to feed these grasses because they'll need the nourishment . then, during their strongest growing season. If growth slows noticeably and the deep green color, fades, feed again in late spring, then wait until cooling weather in late August or fall brings good growing conditions for the final feeding. In the southern and southwestern states, the most successful lawns are of hot-season grasses, such as Bermuda, centipede, St. Augustine, or Bahia. These too need a spring feeding, but they grow rapidly through hot weather and. will require summer fertilizer. In regions where ryegrass is seeded over Bermuda for green winter color, close mowing in spring will favor Bermuda over the ryegrass. Adequate feeding and watering are the paths to success: excess in either or both causes excessive growth, which means more mowing. Excess can also lead to fungus. Monitor your lawn. It should make steady but not rapid growth and keep a deep green color. If you can't stick a stout screwdriver several inches into your lawn, chances are that it needs water. Soak it deeply. Another sign of thirst is grass that looks grayish or bluish and doesn't spring back after you step on it. Foot or heavy mower traffic can compact the soil, depriving roots of air and slowing water penetration. The Garden Council suggests treating treating the problem with a core aerator, which removes small piugs of soil, opening channels for air, water and fertilizer. Hand devices will treat small lawns, but a mechanically driven one will save time and labor. The best way to control weeds is to keep them out. If the lawn is dense and healthy, it can do the job itself. If weeds should gain a foothold; there are chemical herbicides on the market. The Garden Council recommends checking with your local garden center for the proper control, and it further recommends recommends that you follow label instructions instructions faithfully to avoid damage to desirable plants -- your own and your neighbors'. M<mul. h tuti-i unaoric Unilock Limited IH' Xriiisiiniui -Vmm l ,*it I >iil,in,. I /'(, IX#, ,ii#,i r,i n> Bring along this coupon to our FREE SEMINAR and ■ learn how to install and maintain interlock and i retaining walls. > You will receive 5% OFF any purchase of interlock or j retaining wall materials i with this coupon until June 15th. i NEWCASTLE CEMENT BLOCK 623-3W ' ! 732 King St. East, Newcastle 9874444 ! ™ "■■■""■■■■■'■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■J One improve your home... Landscaping ■ Let Wiggans Landscaping professionals design and construct a TOTAL LANDSCAPE PLAN to suit all your needs. Our quality and workmanship is your guarantee of total satisfaction - PROFESSIONAL LANDSCAPE CONTRACTING - WIGGANS LANDSCAPING Residential Serving the Durham Region Commercial 434-2711 Industrial Oshawa