A thick, healthy lawn is mostly about doing the right job at the right time of year. Ontario’s short growing season, hot dry spells and long winters mean timing matters more than the products you use. Here’s a simple schedule you can follow from spring to winter.
Work With Ontario’s Seasons
Most Ontario lawns are cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass, fescue and perennial ryegrass. They grow best in spring and fall, slow down in the summer heat and go dormant over winter. Your lawn care should follow the same rhythm: build the lawn up in spring and fall, and help it get through the summer.
Your Lawn Care Schedule
Here’s what to focus on in each season:
- Spring (April to May)
Rake out dead grass and leftover leaves once the ground has dried. Dethatch if the thatch layer is thicker than about 1 cm, aerate compacted areas, then overseed thin patches and apply a light spring fertilizer.
- Summer (June to August)
Mow high, around 7 to 8 cm, and never take off more than a third of the blade at once. Water deeply about once a week, roughly 2.5 cm including rain, early in the morning. A brown lawn in a dry spell is usually dormant, not dead.
- Fall (September to October)
This is the most important season. Late August to mid-September is the best time to overseed, and an early fall fertilizer helps roots grow. Keep leaves off the lawn and keep mowing until the grass stops growing.
- Late Fall and Winter (November to March)
Give the lawn a final, slightly shorter cut, clear the last leaves and apply a fall feed if you haven’t already. Over the winter, avoid piling salty snow on the grass and stay off frozen turf.
A Note on Weeds
Ontario restricts most cosmetic pesticides, so the best weed control is a thick lawn that leaves weeds no room to grow. Regular overseeding, mowing high and feeding at the right time will do more over a couple of seasons than any spray. Pull larger weeds by hand, roots and all, before they go to seed.
“Most lawns we see don’t need anything fancy. They need the basics done at the right time: rake in spring, mow high in summer, and overseed and feed in the fall.”
Want Help With Your Lawn?
We take care of dethatching, aeration, overseeding, fertilizing, edging and seasonal cleanups across Toronto and the GTA. (We don’t offer weekly mowing.) Contact us for a free estimate.