Let’s start with the basics! Grass in Saskatchewan is typically a mixture of a few different grass types, usually with a heavy ratio of Kentucky Blue. However, your grass seed mixture can vary depending on what kind of lighting you have, your usage, and how new the grass is.

• Choose a rapid start grass seed if you are growing a new lawn in a yard that is not as established. Rapid start mixes are designed to germinate and establish quickly.
• In areas where there isn’t a lot of tree cover and a lot of sun – imagine an arid location like an acreage – choose a waterwise mix that will withstand the dryness.
• For your shadier locations – particularly if your yard is well shaded by trees or buildings – choose a grass seed mix that is for the shade. These grasses tend to do well with less light, meaning that they are going to perform better than mixes that are designed to withstand a lot of light. By contrast, choose a grass seed mix for the sun if you have hot and dry areas.
• Lawns don’t have to be grass, either! If you want, you can use a clover mix. Clover reduces cutting – since it only grows to a certain height – and it captures nitrogen effectively to return your soil to a healthier state. Clover still requires care to get it germinating, as well as re-seeding year over year to get established.

• It’s sort of unusual for every member of the Dutch team to get excited about a product, but the Groundskeeper fertilizer has united us all: this is one of the best products for the lawn you can find! Made in Saskatchewan, this is a fertilizer that contains Iron and Sulphur in addition to Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium. Unlike other lawn fertilizers, Groundskeeper provides better support for the structure of the plants as well as a PH buffer that can help offset the damage done by dogs. In short, we highly recommend this lawn fertilizer!
• In addition to Groundskeeper, your soil may also require amendment in the form of iron or other nutrients. See the handy chart below for more!

• Cutting your grass to a very short length will cause it to grow more thickly, which in turn will allow it to compete with weeds more efficiently. However, too short and the lawn will burn! Therefore, you should maintain a 3 inch height for ideal growth. Shorter grass prevents the sun from reaching weed seeds that are trying to germinate, and thicker lawns are better at competing with weeds for nutrients. This means that weeds will struggle to take root, since the grass seed is taking all of the nutrients and all of the available sunshine.

With your lawn inevitably comes lawncare! Below are some of the symptoms you can look for, and how you might treat them.

• Be sure to fertilize up to around mid-September, weather permitting. You want the grass to be well-prepared to withstand the cold winters. Water it well and give it one last good cut before the cold weather sets in.
• As a final treatment, spray the lawn with Bordo Copper to prevent snow mold. Snow mold is caused by the melting snow. If the lawn can’t dry out properly, molds may form on the surface which can delay the lawn in the spring and also cause allergens for people. Bordo Copper can help prevent the snow mold by creating a barrier on the grass which the mold can’t penetrate as easily.

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As always, if you would like a second opinion or help with lawncare products, be sure to bring in some pictures of your lawn problems and our Plant Solutions experts will be happy to assist you with your lawncare needs!