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Friday, M a rc h 3 1 , 2 0 1 7 | 12 Home and Garden Advertorial ! * * H u rry S a le Ends A pril 24/2017 OAKVILLE BEAVER | O N O U R E N E R G Y E F F IC IE N T W IN D O W S AND DOORS S im p le tip s to p ro te c t y o u r la w n th is s p rin g Curb appeal is im p o rta n t to a hom eowner, and th e fo u nd a tion o f a hom e th a t looks good fro m th e s tre e t is a lush, green lawn providing som e rich co lour in an urban landscape. But a healthy lawn d o e s n 't happen by a ccident. It ta ke s e ffo rt and hard w o rk to give your property the kind o f look th a t m akes a good firs t im p ression. It also requires th e right to o ls , ta c tic s and stra te gie s th a t w ill n ot only help your g rass recover fro m its d orm a n t w in te r s ta te , b ut w ill also prepare it fo r the hot, dry su m m e r season. " S pring is quickly approaching, and w ith th a t th o u g h ts are tu rn in g to our yards and th e w ork th a t lays ahead to g et th e m ready fo r th e grow ing sea son," says Canada's b est known gardener M ark Cul len. " It is c e rta in ly th e right tim e o f year to begin planning your yard w o rk so th a t w hen w in te r finally breaks and spring s e ttle s in, you are ready to go." To help you g et prepared fo r th e arrival o f spring, Cullen o ffe rs th e fo llo w in g tip s , to o ls and ta c tic s to help you fig h t o ff th e incursion o f w eeds and give you th e g ree ne st lawn on th e block: Fertilize in early spring. In m any p a rts o f Canada, it can be tough to jud g e when w in te r is finally, actu ally over. But a t som e p oin t in April you should be safe to put down a m ix o f fertilizer, grass seed and co m p o st. It w ill help your lawn recover and provide a good fo u n d a tio n fo r th e sum m er. Crowd o u t th e w eeds. A b se n t harsh chem icals, th e b e s t way to keep w eeds o ff your lawn is to crowd th e m o ut w ith healthy g rass pla n ts. Spread healthy lawn soil and overseed your lawn w ith good quality grass seed to prom ote growth o f new g rass plants th a t w ill quite literally leave no room fo r w eeds to ta ke root. Fertilize again in late spring. A b ou t six w eeks a fte r your firs t app lica tion o f lawn recovery, apply a slowrelease, high-iron fertilizer. Applying fe rtiliz e r tw ice in th e spring w ill fo s te r stro ng roots and healthy growth into th e expected heat waves in July and A ugust. Equip yo urse lf. As w ith any ta s k , th e right to o ls fo r th e jo b can m ake all th e difference. A m ulti-function hoe is a m u s t fo r planting, cu ltiva ting and furrow ing. A narrow-head hoe has a long handle, but its sm all head is ideal fo r cultivating, w eeding and spreading soil. C ollect rainwater. Rainy days can be few and fa r between in th e dead o f sum m er, b ut th e re is often am ple rain in th e spring th a t can be co llected in a rain barrel and used to keep your lawn hydrated when M othe r Nature tu rn s o ff th e tap. " Every yard dese rves a little extra TLC to s ta rt th e seaso n o ff right," adds Cullen. " W ith proper care and th e right to o ls , your lawn is sure to be th e b est on th e block, and looking greener th a n ever before." For even m ore tip s and in fo rm a tio n on how to g e t th e b e s t and g re e n e st-lo o kin g law n, v is it m arkcu lle n .c o m . w w w .in s id e H A L T O N .c o m | m IS m a ll m i i y49/mo. On Your ENBRIDGE G a s B ill* A IR M ILES G ENERGY STAR 99.7% CUSTO M ER SATISFACTIO N REW ARD M ILES ' fo r b o o kin g an in h om e estim a te