905-493-0453
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Durham Lawn Jockey
The NEW BREED of LAWN CARE
Serving Durham & the G.T.A.
OVER SEEDING: There are two optimum times of the year to seed,
mid April until the end of May and the third week in August to the end
of September, with the second seeding window being the best. At
Durham Lawn Jockey we use ECO LAWN the premium grass seed
when we do this application to help convert your lawn to a lower
maintenance lawn that saves you time and money. In fact after five
years with this product, besides the money you`ll save with less
watering and cutting, you won`t need us either.
You won`t need any lawn company!
CORE AERATION: This application has many benefits- creates a stronger root
system, breaks up thatch layers, allows more moisture and oxygen into the soil, helps
keep grub populations to a minimum. Although we also provide spring aerations, we
recommend this appl ication be done in conjunction with a September over-seeding.


LIME TREATMENT: This application helps restore the PH level of acidic lawns to a
normal standard between 6.0 and 7.0 . It is an application that acts as a booster drink for
your lawn helping with moss, mushrooms and canine urine. It is recommended that this
treatment be done once every three years or as needed. At Durham Lawn Jockey we use
Nutra Lime with Dolomite.


WEEDS: With as many as 150 seeds ready to germinate throughout the entire season
for every square foot of soil, the potential for weeds is tremendous. In fact, in the top six
inches of the topsoil, over 1,000 square feet, there may be as many as 3,000 weed seeds.
These seeds remain viable for many years. Weeds are opportunistic plants. They
compete with preferred plants for space, water, nutrients and sunlight. Just a slight
weakness in the turf can allow a weed seed to germinate and become established.
Cultural practices that help maintain health and vigour of the grass should end concern
for weeds. Promoting a healthy lawn is the best defence against severe weed problems.
Proper mowing and watering, regular fertilization, core cultivation, and annual
over-seeding are the key ingredients in maintaining a healthy lawn.
At Durham Lawn Jockey we use Bio and Eco control methods including the new Fiesta-
iron based control, when dealing with weeds. For more severe weed problems,
programs with Turf Maize Pro Organic weed control and, or soil testing is
recommended.
CRABGRASS is an annual weed that invades home lawns and
gardens. Crabgrass usually establishes itself in mid to late spring.
Crabgrass plants produce finger-like, purple seed heads when
mature. Seeds are produced over winter in the soil and germinate
the following spring. Crabgrass normally invades lawns that are
thin, weak and undernourished. Lawns that are properly fertilized,
watered and mowed correctly are less susceptible to crabgrass
infestations. Infestations usually begin along driveway edges, in
boulevards and other high traffic and/or high temperature areas.
Crabgrass will not germinate in heavily shaded areas.
Control- Pre-Emergent: When there is evidence of recurring historical crabgrass
problems. Control is best implemented in spring, prior to or soon after the germination
and establishment of crabgrass plants.
Durham Lawn Jockey uses Turf Maize Pro Crabgrass pre-emergent. If you have a
history of crabgrass it is recommended you chose a program with this application.
CUTTING: Your lawn should be kept at 2½ to 3 inches (6-8 cm)
long. Mowing height should be increased during the hot, dry
summer. In most areas the grass will grow more quickly in the
spring and fall and require more frequent mowing. Calculate mower
blade heights by measuring the distance between the ground and
the base of your lawn mower.
The lawn should be mowed frequently so that only a small clipping
is taken from the grass plant. Never remove more than a third of the
total grass blade. Removing too much of the blade length at one
time stresses the grass and weakens your lawn. Because the
system of a grass plant grows proportionately to the above ground
parts of the plant, a longer cutting height results in a stronger,
deeper root system.
Lawn mower blades should be kept razor sharp. A sharp blade makes a clean precise
cut of each grass blade. A sharp clean cut will seal quickly and resist disease attack. A
dull blade chews and frays grass blades resulting in a gray appearance and greater
vulnerability of turf to diseases.

The mowing direction should be altered for each mowing. This procedure will keep the
grass growing strong and straight while reducing weed infestation.
Grass clippings should be left on the lawn when mowing. "Grass-cycling" is natural
and an environmentally beneficial practice. Grass clippings are about 90 percent water
by weight. Because they are high in protein they should be left on the lawn to
decompose and return vital nutrients back to the soil. The average lawn produces
clippings at a rate of about 200 pounds per square foot each year. For every 100 m² of
lawn, consistent grass-cycling done for the entire season returns one ton of nutritious
clippings to the soil; which reduces waste and conserves landfill space. The use of a
mulching type mower is ideal for grass-cycling as it results in a more uniform
distribution of grass clippings, and allows for quicker decomposition.
It is only necessary to remove lawn clippings if they are long and will smother the lawn.
WATERING: Your lawn needs 1 to 1-1/2" (3-4cm) of water weekly.
Under normal circumstances, early morning is the best time to
water your lawn so that the leaves can dry slowly and naturally
without too much evaporation, and instead with most of the water
penetrating the soil. If you water at mid-day in hot weather, much of
the water evaporates quickly. Evening watering can promote the
spread of lawn grass diseases. Regular, fairly deep watering is
better than daily light sprinklings. Deep watering and allowing the
lawn to dry out between watering will force the roots to penetrate
deeper in search of moisture. On the other hand, excessively heavy watering is
wasteful and can promote lawn diseases. Again, 1 to 1-1/2" (3-4cm) of water weekly.
CHINCH BUGS: live above the soil and feed on living grass
plants. If you peer between the grass blades, you may be able to
see the tiny Chinch Bugs scurry. They have reddish bodies in
their younger stages. The tiny young mature into black and white
coloured adults. Chinch Bugs pierce the grass blade stem or
crown, inject digestive juices, then suck out the plants liquids.
Damage looks similar to drought symptoms, but of course,
watering does not remedy the problem.
Chinch Bugs attack during the mid-summer heat and can cause serious damage in a
few days and devastate an entire lawn in a few weeks.

Durham Lawn Jockey uses Eco-friendly methods for the control of Chinch Bugs and
other surface insects including the establishment of ECO LAWN; a thinner fescue
Chinch Bugs don't like.
LEATHERJACKETS: Due to their leathery gray-brown skin, the damaging larvae
are most commonly referred to as "Leatherjackets". The adult crane fly resembles a
giant mosquito and appears in later summer in great numbers. The female can lay up
to 280 shiny, black eggs in the grass or soil. The eggs hatch within two weeks and
the larvae begin feeding. They feed at the soil level on roots and seedlings almost
continuously; growing from 3mm to 3.2cm (3/16" to 1-1/4") between August and late
May. During the colder periods of the winter, they burrow deeper into the soil where
they are better able to survive frost and flooding. As the temperatures moderate in the
spring, they will ascend to just below the soil surface and resume feeding.
Leatherjackets feed during the day at or below the surface of the turf on root hairs,
roots and crowns. Damage to lawns first appears as brown patches that soon
become bare if infestations are heavy.

Durham Lawn Jockey uses Nematodes specially bred to deal with Leatherjackets
and pierce their shell.
WHITE GRUBS: White grubs can devastate your lawn. White
grubs (European chafer, May and June beetles) are small,
plump, white larvae which actively feed on grass roots. They live
below the soil surface and actually chew off the roots of the
grass. They are C-shaped, have a brown head and three large
pair of legs.

After they destroy the grass roots, the lawn will appear
unhealthy, weak or possibly yellow in patches, as if the lawn is
drying out. Other symptoms to watch for include: animals like
skunks and raccoons digging up the lawn and birds feeding on
grubs, leaving pencil sized holes. Often the damaged turf will
roll back like a carpet.


Durham Lawn Jockey uses environmentally friendly methods such as Core Aeration
Spring and Fall Nematode applications, and the establishment of ECO LAWN which
make the grass less vulnerable to grub damage.