Frequently Asked Questions

This is a very common question that many often wonder about.  We recommend keeping your grass blades around 2 1/2” to 3” for an average height.  This, however; should change if we are experiencing very hot and dry weather.  If things are extremely hot and dry, we recommend a height between 3” and 3 1/2”.

Another recommendation is to not remove more than 1/3 of the grass blade in one cutting. Removing too much of the blade length at one time stresses the grass and weakens your lawn. A longer cutting height results in a stronger, deeper root system and shades the soil, allowing it to retain moisture and prevent weed seeds from germinating.

It is very important to make sure your mower blades are kept razor sharp. A sharp blade makes a clean precise cut which seals quickly and helps resist diseases. A crisp cut is also easier to achieve on a dry lawn rather than a wet one. Try not to cut your lawn during the hottest part of the day. To maintain a razor sharp blade, it maybe necessary to have the blade sharpened multiple times each year.

Grass clippings should be left on the lawn when mowing, as it is a natural and environmentally friendly practice. Grass clippings are about 90% water by weight. Because they are high in protein, they should be left on the lawn to decompose, as this practice will add nutrients to the soil. The use of a mulching type mower is ideal for grass‑cycling as it cuts the clippings smaller and allows for quicker decomposition.

Depending on how hot and dry things are, lawns need about 1” to 1‑1/2″ of water per week. Regular, deep watering(3”-4”) is better than daily light sprinklings. Deep watering along with allowing the lawn to dry out between the watering, will force the roots to penetrate deeper in search of moisture.

Early morning is the best time to water your lawn so that the leaves can dry slowly and naturally without too much evaporation. Be careful, as evening watering can sometimes promote the spreading of lawn grass diseases.

Another factor to consider is the type of soil you have.  Sandy soils need to be watered more frequently than a clay based soil.

Yes, yes, yes!  Aerate your lawn!!  You are going to see a much healthier lawn when you aerate!  Aeration will help reduce thatch and compaction.  After our harsh winters, our soil gets very compacted.  This can stunt root growth and keep the nutrients from getting down into the soil.

The process of aerating your lawn loosens the soil compaction by poking holes in it and then pulling the plugs out. This opens up the soil and allows the plugs to loosely dissolve back into the ground with rain and watering.  This allows the turf to breathe and obtain access to what it needs: water, fertilizer and seed. It also provides more room for the roots to grow deeper and stronger.  Beyond the grass, the soil itself becomes healthier because it has better access to nutrients. The turf can also better handle the stress of heat and cold with thicker, deeper roots.

We recommend having your lawn aerated in the spring, or an aeration with overseeding in the fall.

KNK’s custom fertilizer is like no other.  Our fertilizer is 100% slow release and is designed specifically for our lawns in the Grey/Bruce area.  We highly recommend our 3 fertilizer applications throughout the season to give your lawn the proper nutrients it needs.

Providing your lawn with the proper fertilizer is the most important process for keeping it healthy.  The three main ingredients in fertilizer are: Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. The numbers represent percentages of each nutrient contained in the bag of fertilizer. Nitrogen is very important and is the most essential nutrient as it is responsible for a lush, green colour. Phosphorus aids in root development which is important when establishing a new lawn. Potassium is necessary for maintaining plant hardiness.

Yes, we still fertilize in hot/dry weather.  Our fertilizer applications are granular and 100% slow release.  The fertilizer will remain on your lawn and in your soil until it rains or is watered in.

Yes!  We recommend that you have your lawn overseeded, ideally once a year.  The best time to have your lawn overseeded is in the Fall.  The soil is still warm, the air is cooler, most often offers more natural watering(rain) and not as many weeds – so the new seed has less to compete against.  It also allows you to fill in areas of the turf that have been damaged by summer stress, diseases or lawn damaging insects.

Maintaining a thick and healthy lawn is the best way to combat pests, weeds and disease attacks.  Overseeding guarantees you a thicker lawn. A dense yard of grass effectively holds soil and water in place. This improves your lawn’s health by allowing it to contain moisture and nutrients.

Our custom premium KNK seed blend will help fix minor problems before they become big issues requiring expensive interventions.

The most common reason your lawn is turning brown is lack of water!  Like almost everything, food(fertilizer) and water are the 2 most important factors to promote and maintain the health and growth of your lawn.

Make sure you are providing your lawn enough water but if the grass stays brown and begins to spread, there could be other issues.  If this is the case, call us right away to schedule an assessment to see what the problem could be.

If you don’t water enough in the hot/dry summer months, lawn pests, weeds and crabgrass will thrive!  Chinch bugs and grubs are common pests that can also turn your lawn brown.

Chinch bugs are extremely small pests that can be tough to find.  Younger chinch bugs are a reddish/orange colour and adults are black with a white spot on their back between their wing pads.  Chinch bugs feed by sucking the sap from the crown and stems of turf grass, causing it to turn brown.

Chinch bugs thrive in hot/dry weather and love the sun.  If your lawn is sunny, the chinch bugs will prefer your lawn to a lawn that is shady.  In fact, you may find that the less sunny spots in your lawn are less damaged by the chinch bugs than the extremely sunny areas.

If a lawn is not getting enough water, quite often the chinch bugs move in.  Their damage is often mistaken for drought, however; if left untreated, they can destroy a lawn extremely fast.  If you have been providing sufficient water to your lawn and irregular yellow/brown patches show up, you could have chinch bugs.

Customers often ask why the chinch bugs attack their lawn. Why don’t they go after the house two doors down?  They never care for their lawn, have a pile of weeds and yet they don’t have any chinch bugs!  Chinch bugs like to eat at respectable lawns where the grass is green, the turf is tasty and the lawn is lush. The reality is that chinch bugs prefer lawns that are cared for. One of the risks of taking pride in your home and lawn is that you are more likely to get chinch bugs than the person who doesn’t care about their lawn. Not fair but unfortunately a reality.

The three types of white grubs we can usually see are the European Chafer, June beetle and the Japanese beetle.  They are are C-shaped, cream coloured with a brown head and have six legs. The larvae are small, plump and actively feed on grass roots. They live below the soil surface and actually chew off the roots of the grass.

After they destroy the grass roots, the lawn will appear unhealthy, turning yellow then brown, as if the lawn is drying out. Other symptoms to watch for include: presence of birds, moles, skunks and other insect-eating animals. Skunks and raccoons will dig up the lawn and birds leave holes where grubs are present. The damaged grass will pull up easily.

Quite often people don’t know they have a grub problem in their lawn until they see digging from various animals. It is important to know that a healthy lawn can easily support some grubs without the need for any type of treatment but if they are especially destructive, we definitely recommend adding the treatment to your lawn care program.

Maintaining a healthy lawn is your first line of defense against grubs!!

Crabgrass is an annual strain of ‘wild grass’.  Annual is the good part…meaning that in the fall when the first frost arrives, the crabgrass will die.  Unfortunately each crabgrass plant can produce thousands of seeds that can grow and take over your lawn the next year.

There are two varieties of crabgrass commonly found in our area. Large, or hairy crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis) and small, or smooth crabgrass (Digitaria ischaemum). Both are recognizable by their broad, pointed leaves that grow from a common stem.

We encounter most crabgrass growth from late June through September. Crabgrass likes to grow in warm sunny spots.  It typically first appears along the edges of driveways and other paved areas – the concrete or asphalt transfers its heat to the lawn adjacent to it.

There are no effective crabgrass control applications available in Ontario.  Again, having a thick and healthy lawn(well watered), is the best defense against crabgrass.  As soon as it has an opportunity – dry, patchy areas – crabgrass will thrive.

We recommend keeping your lawn as healthy as possible(benefits of having a full program) along with an aeration and overseed every year.  If you do have small patches of crabgrass, we recommend that you pull it up right away when it is still young.  Keep your grass blades longer(3”) which will help reduce the crabgrass seed germination.