Grow A Healthy Lawn

Practicing preventative maintenance to create a lawn that is lush, green and healthy will reduce or eliminate your pesticide use.

1. Test your soil
2. Feed the soil, fertilize properly
3. Overseed with a grass mix
4. Raise your mower height and sharpen mower blades
5. Aerate lawn
6. Water wisely
7. Be tolerant or try something new
8. Attract beneficials
9. Use least toxic pest control

Fact Sheets

• Easy Steps to Growing a Healthy Lawn (PDF) - how to reduce your use of pesticides
• Monthly Steps to a Healthy Lawn (PDF)
• Improve Your Lawn with Clover (PDF) - diversify your lawn & reduce fertilizer dependency
• Questions to Ask Lawn Care Companies (PDF)
• Less Toxic Alternative Pesticides (PDF) - There are many new products on the market that are good alternatives after you have tried preventative measures. Ask your local garden centre and read the labels carefully before use.

See what the professionals have to say

• Read "Responsible Gardening" by Lorraine Johnson (PDF)
• Read "Grass Seed Makes the Difference" by Glenda Bosley (PDF)
• Read "The Root of Success" by Meredith Macleod (PDF)
• City Farmer's Healthy Lawn Care Practices Slide Show

Should you use pesticides yourself, read the label before use and follow the manufacturer's directions closely. For more information on pesticide use go to the "Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency" website.

Attachment	Size
monthly_steps.pdf	114.94 KB
grow_a_healthy_lawn.pdf	104.43 KB
questions.pdf	100.53 KB
responsible_gardening.pdf	17.48 KB
less_toxic_alternative_pesticides.pdf	96.12 KB
the_root_of_success-the_hamilton_spectator_may_23_2006.pdf	23.07 KB
tue_16_may_2006_orillia_packet_ and_times_grass_seed_makes_the_difference.pdf	9.98 KB