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29 · Friday, April 27, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com Spring Home & Garden Achieve a thick, green lawn in just a few simple steps (NC)--Your lawn is a living carpet and a beautiful part of your landscape, not just filler between your gardens and sidewalk. If you would like to grow a lush and environmentally responsible lawn, follow these tips from Home Hardware's gardening expert, Mark Cullen. First thing in the spring, rake your lawn lightly. It will remove winter debris and help the grass blades to stand up on end. "This allows air to circulate through the crown of the grass plants and prepares it for the coming growing season," says Cullen. Since longer grass blades produce deeper roots, he recommends leaving the lawn mower blade a little higher. "Deep roots will help foster a drought resistant, healthier looking lawn." A mulching mower is also important so you can return the natural, nitrogen rich goodness of cut grass back to the root zone of your lawn. Cullen's fertilizer of choice is Canadianmade, Golfgreen, and he recommends three applications in a year ­ early spring, summer, and fall. "In my experience it is the best quality lawn fertilizer on the market in Canada. Its slow release is activated by rainfall, rising temperatures and microbial activity in the soil to deliver nutrients when they are most needed." Cullen also champions watering your lawn deeply and less often. "In late spring apply up to four centimetres (one inch) of water to your lawn as it dries out, but only once a week. This will drive grass roots deeper, which is helpful during drought conditions. During a drought, do not water at all. Let your lawn go dormant as it will revive in August as temperatures drop and morning dew becomes heavy." Finally, Cullen emphasizes the importance of lawn mower maintenance. He recommends sharpening blades every eight cuts. "To be truly environmentally responsible, cut your lawn with a new push reel lawn mower like the Mark's Choice model, but if you must use a gas mower change the oil regularly." More expert gardening advice and product information is available online at www.homehardware.ca. Is it green to choose sinks in stainless steel? (NC)--To evaluate this, take a little time to research the supplier for its industrial responsibility. If you aim at Canadian-made, that is a good start for eco-conscientiousness. Take a look, for example, at one of the more serious commitments to conservation from the Ontario company, Novanni Stainless Inc. Management there reminds us that stainless steel is one of the most recycled materials, even more than paper or glass. Novanni adds that the average useful life of a stainless steel sink is 30 years, so landfill waste is never an issue. All packaging components are made from approximately 65 per cent recycled content and printed with vegetable dyes. As importantly, the company (novanni.ca) invests continuously in renewable energy. In the last few years it has engaged in energy reduction programs and since 2006 has reduced its consumption of natural gas and electricity by at least 20 per cent. TK2742 Years of Experience 25 TK2742 PAVING & INTERLOCKING LTD. 4101 Steeles Avenue West, Suite 208, Toronto, On M3N 1V7 $ 10000 OFF Your Project Book Now · DRIVEWAYS · CONCRETE · PARKING LOTS ALL WORK IS 100% GUARANTEED · INTERLOCKING FULLY We Insure Quality Service, Honesty · STONEWORK & Integrity In Every Project Call Us Now FREE ESTIMATES 416.654.2690 ·1.888.752.6715 www.royaltownconstruction.com