Media Release

December 6, 2011

Breathing new life into St. James Park
New turfgrass will revive green space damaged by Occupy Toronto protest

TORONTO — After five weeks playing host to Occupy Toronto protesters, the lawn at Toronto’s St. James Park suffered severe damage, with the lawn trampled to death.

But local residents concerned about the condition of their communal gathering space can be assured it will be brought back to life. Landscape Ontario is partnering with the Nursery Sod Growers Association of Ontario, Project EverGreen and the community to restore some greenery in St. James Park with a new lawn. Turfgrass is an enormous environmental benefit that is so often underestimated with its incredible ability to keep Toronto clean, green and healthy.

“There is a huge volunteer effort that will be happening here,” says Tony DiGiovanni, executive director of Landscape Ontario. “There will be more than 10,000 rolls of sod and at least 23 dump trucks of soil and an incredible number of people being very charitable.”

Volunteers from member Landscape Ontario and Nursery Sod-Growers Association firms will be on site Wednesday to begin preparation work, but the noticeable difference will happen Thursday as an army of volunteers lays the new sod to replace that which was damaged during the Occupy Toronto protest.

Restoring the lawn at St. James Park is an effort on par with planting a forest of trees when it comes to cleaning our air and creating the best situation for a healthy environment.

“A green and healthy lawn is just as important as a tree,” says Kyle Tobin, owner of LawnSavers Plant Health Care and a manager of the St. James Park project. “We have a unique opportunity right now before winter to restore the lawn and take advantage of ideal conditions. We will get in there and it will go from brown to green immediately and flourish next spring.”

A lush, green lawn is more than just pleasing to the eye. Did you know:

• That 220 square feet of turfgrass produces enough oxygen for a family of four; that means restoring the turfgrass in St. James Park will produce enough clean air for 545 families;
• North American Lawns store billions of tonnes of carbon, making turfgrass a leading contributor to offset carbon and reduce global warming;
• The average front lawn has the cooling effect of 8.5 tonnes of air conditioning; Lawns will be 18°C (30°F) cooler than asphalt and 7°C (14°F) cooler than bare soil in the heat of summer.
• Turf improves water quality by storing and filtering the water that would otherwise go into catch-basins and into the lake. 
• A 10,000 square foot lawn will contain six grass plants per square inch,
  850 plants per square foot and 8.5 million plants total. Think of your lawn as a forest of grass plants.

Community members interested helping out with the transformation of St. James are invited to come to the park on Thursday to support the massive volunteer effort. 

“When you consider the immense environmental benefits of turf, we are going to make a huge impact with the revitalization of St. James Park,” says Alan White, owner of Turf Systems Inc. and a manager of the St. James Park project. “A new lawn in the park will have the equivalent impact of producing enough clean air for 2,180 people each day. It will help maintain a healthy temperature in our environment and work to keep our air and water clean.”

Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association, one of the most vibrant associations of its kind, is comprised of more than 2,000 members, 10 sector groups and nine local chapters. Its trade mission is to promote the horticulture industry in Ontario, and its public mission, Green for Life, promotes the joys and benefits of plants and green spaces. Visit http://www.landscapeontario.com for more information.

Formed in 1960, the Nursery Sod Growers Association of Ontario (N.S.G.A.) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the betterment of the turfgrass sod industry. The main objectives of the association are to develop and maintain high standards of turfgrass sod quality, to stimulate consumer knowledge of quality turfgrass sod, to work in close co-operation with allied professions to the benefit of consumer and trade alike, and to gather, analyze and disseminate information of general interest to the public, governmental agencies and other organizations.

Project EverGreen is committed to informing the Canadian public about the positive effects of well-maintained green spaces, including lawns and landscapes, sports turf, golf courses and parks. We want to inspire you to get involved and get passionate about green spaces! www.projectevergreen.ca

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Media Contact:

Stephen Murdoch

Enterprise Canada

Tel: 905-682-7203 X24 

Cell: 289-241-3997

Email: smurdoch@enterprisecanada.com

Project Contacts

Alan White

Turf Systems Inc.

Cell: 905-317-7580

Email: alan.white@turfsystems.ca

Kyle Tobin

LawnSavers Plant Health Care

Cell: 416-948-2808

Email: kylet@lawnsavers.com

Are you another aspiring Clark Griswald, planning on spending hours climbing rickety, old ladders and untangling bundles of wire to hang your Christmas lights this year? Why don’t you let our dedicated team of Christmas light professionals take the work and worry out of the decoration process? We’ll ensure your home looks elegant, festive and fantastic!

However simple or elaborate your vision may be, our jolly professional design consultant will meet with you at your home and work with you to turn your unique ideas into reality. Robust wreaths, thicker, fuller garlands and other festive greenery adorned with pine cones and ribbons will be sure to beautify your home for the holidays!
All you need to provide is the power, and we’ll take care of everything else needed to complete your project. We handle design, installation, removal, and even guarantee your installation till Christmas. If any parts break on their own, we’ll replace them hassle-free! When it comes time to take down your display, we will also safely remove, inventory and store the decorations for you until we come back again next year.

The LED Difference

LawnSavers only uses commercial quality LED light bulbs for substantial energy savings.  These are NOT like your big box lights!  They’re 5-6x brighter, and their decreased energy usage and long lifespan make them far more environmentally friendly! Not only are they more energy efficient, but LED lights last a lot longer too! They have an average lifespan of up to 50,000 hours compared to the much shorter 1,200-hour lifespan of an incandescent bulb, meaning they require replacement far less often making them an excellent investment.

According to Toronto Hydro, LEDs use up to 97% less electricity than traditional Christmas lights. For one string of lights, this translates to one dollar getting you 15 hours from incandescent lights versus 15 days from LEDs. Let’s assume your lights are in use for six hours daily, for a total of six weeks. If 10 strings of bulbs are used, the cost of electricity will amount to $264 for incandescent bulbs, but only $1.08 for 10 strings of LEDs!

I’m sold, but how much does it cost?

Every home is different, and every home owner has different tastes.  The minimum job is 250.00, however an average job in the first year including lining the front of the house with LED C9 lights, Garland around the front door, a beautiful wreath and a couple average trees adorned with LED mini-lights, could be somewhere around the 2000.00-2500.00 price point or more.  Keep in mind that this price is for the first year only as it includes the cost of lights, extension cords, timers, installation, take-down and storage.  You own the lights, so NEXT Year’s installation may be somewhere around 30-35% of that price.  You will also save a load of money on electricity.

So what are you waiting for? Your very own Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is just a phone call away!

Tell us, what are your must-haves for Christmas Decorations? 
Also Visit LawnSavers on Facebook and tell us your favorite light colour in our new poll!

The Province of Ontario has banned chemical pest control and while the new organic alternatives are very effective, they do not provide the immediate results of the past. “There are no more magic bullets,” as Kyle likes to say. What this means for weed management is that because it can take more than one application to kill a weed and there are more airborne weed seeds from untended and wild areas, good weed-fighting cultural habits by homeowners are more important than ever.

While any good lawn care professional will make sure he has the best weed management product on the market for his clients, organic products have many more limitations on their use. Many cannot be used during some parts of the year, require a lot of after care, or there is a limit to the total amount that can be used on a lawn each year. So what a homeowner does between visits makes a big difference for the results he can expect.

Above everything of course, healthy lawns have fewer problems. Mowing and watering properly will keep your grass growing vigorously, leaving fewer places where weeds can start. Here are some other tactics that will minimize the introduction and spread of weeds and weed grasses.

• Decapitate them! Many weeds spread only by seed. Dandelions are well known for this, sprouting white puffs containing hundreds of seeds that can be carried for miles by the wind. But no flower means no seed. Removing weed flowers as they appear is fast, easy and makes the weed waste energy growing another blossom.
• Mow strategically. Rosette weeds like dandelion, thistle and plantain can be kept in check by regular mowing to remove flowers and injure the leaves. For creeping weeds like creeping charlie, black medic and clover, attach a collection bag to the mower. Often these weeds can re-root and spread from cuttings and seeds. Plus, nobody said you had to mow your whole lawn. A quick run along the sidewalk where some persistent plantain is trying to go to seed only takes minutes. Grass LIKES being cut frequently.
• Avoid outside contamination. Do weed seeds blow in through your back fence all year from an untended field? A small investment in a screen hedge now will save you untold aggravation later. Do you have professionals mow your lawn? Make sure they are hosing off their equipment between jobs so your lawn does not host seeds from that sloppy lawn three blocks over.
•  Pull sparingly, and if you do, patch afterwards. Pulling is not a good long-term fix. Many weeds can grow back from a fragment of taproot left behind. With creeping weeds it is very hard to get the whole colony. In either case, pulling the weed often leaves a shallow pit full of loose soil. This is a perfect home for a new weed seed. If you are pulling weeds, jujast pull the top off, healthy grass should crowd out that area, and sprinkle some grass seed in the vacant spot and care for it as you would any new seed. Let the plant you do want live in that spot.

Just because the kids are going back to school soon, doesn’t mean the summer is over, at least not for your lawn and trees.  In fact, we are just embarking on the best growing weather you can ask for when it comes to your lawn.

After a tough summer of heat and drought stress, fighting the difficult battle against weed grasses (like bentgrass, annual and rough bluegrass, crabgrass  and the like), fertilizing just to keep the grass you do have and watering just to keep the lawn alive,  THIS is when your hard work starts to pay off!

The nutrients are in place, the weed grasses and broadleaf weeds have been weakened.  Now it’s time to continue with your proper care regimen of frequent mowing and deep watering, over-seeding, as well as repairing and renovating weaker areas in your lawn.

After all, grass grows actively until the ground freezes which can be as late as December in Southern Ontario!  That’s right, the top growth might slow down by early November, but the roots will keep growing and building up reserves to fight back with a vengeance next spring!

Here’s a quick recap of what to focus on:

1. Mow frequently- every 5 or 6 days, often enough to make sure you never remove more than 1/3 of the blade. If you don’t have many weeds and are mowing often enough, you can leave the clippings on the lawn- which makes this job even easier.

2. Mow high- 3″ is the ideal height for Kentucky bluegrass and perennial rye-grass if you want to crowd out the weeds and undesirable weed grasses.  Don’t work against your selves, these grasses were meant to be this height, you cant change it!

3. Water deeply- proper watering through the late summer months is essential

4. Fight the weed seeds!- Bag your lawn clippings if the weeds are in seed (flowering), this prevents working against yourself.

5. Rip out the Crabgrass- Crabgrass is an annual plant, so it doesn’t even matter if you get the root system out.  Its going to die after the first frost. The goal here is to remove the seed heads that can put out 100′s of seeds per plant that will grown back next year, if you let them have their way!   Don’t let the seeds stay- rip them out too!

6. OVERSEED anytime through the late summer and early fall is a great time to seed bare spots or areas that contain weed grasses.  Be sure to vigorously rake to rip out what you can of the old stuff, loosen up the top inch or 2 of soil, spread the seed, step on it and keep it moist!

7. The goal here is to get your lawn back into shape so you can return to the #1 position on this list, and in the neighbourhood heirarchy of lawn heroes!

PS.  Don’t forget your trees, After a long hot and dry summer, Your trees are thirsty and can use a nice deep watering using LawnSavers slow drip method.  You may also want to consider deep root feeding them this fall!

It is sweltering hot and humid out there!  Many homeowners like you want to know how you can help your lawn and garden make it through this heat.
Forecasts highs of 34 deg C (93 F) today and 37 deg C (98 F) for tomorrow will likely break and achieve all time heat records.  Then when you add in the humidity, we are well into the 40′s C (100-115 F)!
This kind of heat is the equivalent of planting your lawn into a sauna and expecting it to survive.
Here are some quick tips and reminders on how to help your lawn and valuable trees, shrubs and flowers make it through these difficult times.

WATERING TIPS
- Recognize that all plants have different watering needs, turf needs on average 1.5″-2″ of water per week over one to two waterings.  Annual flowers may need daily watering, especially if newly planted or in elevated beds or pots that dry out more quickly.  Trees need at least one good soaking every 3-4 weeks using our slow drip method (below).
- Water deeply and regularly using our guidelines:  high temperatures and wind can dessicate the ground very quickly so the soil will need replenishing. Shallow and frequent watering causes more harm than you think.  Sprinkler systems that go on every day for 10-15 minutes don’t create healthy plants and only create a false state of security.
- Water in the morning or early evening:  to prevent water loss from evaporation.  If watering at night, you may encourage some leaf diseases and fungal issues.  These normally won’t kill plants and are more aesthetic.  Better to water at night then to never water at all.
- Water the soil, not the leaves:  This helps reduce disease and leaf injury from sun scorch.
- Get a hose end timer!:  One of the main reasons people don’t get around to watering is that they don’t have the time to hang around and turn the hose off.  Well, these relatively inexpensive devices will turn off the water for you after a predetermined interval.  Budget about $25-$100 depending on manual vs. digital.
- Dont forget your trees!: They need deep watering too.  Use our slow drip method; turn the hose on just enough to achieve  a slow drip or trickle, place the hose at the base of the tree and go away for a while…  Have a cold drink and only move the hose after you see the water puddling up on the surface.  Depending on the size of the tree, you may have to move it around a few times, this method ensures the roots get a deep soaking.  Spruces are particularly vulnerable to drought stress and damage from this year often shows up in later years.  A single medium to large tree can take 3-5 hours to do this right.
- Thunderstorms are useless!:  Seriously, just because we get 3″ of rain in 10 minutes, doesn’t mean the soil absorbed any of it!  Check for yourself, grab a shovel and check a small spot after a storm, you’ll be lucky if the water soaked the top inch of soil.  The ground becomes so hard in the summer with the heat , that soil can become hydrophobic, and actually repel water, especially clay soils.  If this is the case, water in intervals until it starts to absorb (water for 15 minutes, wait 30 minutes, repeat). I recommend to disregard thunderstorms as a source of beneficial water entirely.

MOWING TIPS
The first rule is that if you follow the rules, mowing will be easier!
- Throw out your calendar: Grass cant tell if its the weekend or not, it needs to be mowed when it needs to be mowed.  This depends on the season and the weather, no matter how important or busy you think you are, the lawn doesnt care…humbling, I know!
- 1/3rd rule:  Mow as often as necessary so that you are never removing more than one third of the blade at each mowing.  The good news is, this prevents having to rake and bag clippings.  The lawn can easily absorb and decompose clippings of this size without causing excess thatch.  It will even add some nutrients back into the soil.
- Mow high: No not literally, we are talking about turf-grass! Keep the lawn at 2 3/4- 3″ high, not because I said so, but because whoever you believe created grass, made it that way.  It needs to be at the height to achieve a healthy root system and give you the nice lush look you want.  Any thing lower, reduces the abilty to produce a proper root system, and also cuts off the main leaves that give you the thick lush look, plus the leaves are the food storage- If you want the look of a golf green, then buy a $4000.00 greens mower, be prepared to water daily, install a $50,000 drainage system under your lawn, fertilize weekly, have plenty of fungicide on hand and plant bentgrass or annual bluegrass that were made to grow and be mowed that short!
- Bag clippings when weeds are in seed: The only time you really need to bag clippings is when the weeds are in flower (seeds come right after the flower), this helps to prevent the spread of weeds and is an important tenet of organic lawn care.
- Sharpen your blade: One of the most common problems we see with lawns is the “torn-look” of mowing with a dull blade.  Not only does this make the grass tips look brown, fuzzy and ragged, it invites disease by increasing the surface area for pathogen entry.
- Change up your pattern: Mow in different directions to prevent rutting, compaction and pr0duces a more vibrant stand of grass.
- DONT MOW when the lawn is stressed: especially with heavy machinery and big tires that only further rip already weak and stressed blades. Take a break, the lawn probably hasn’t even grown that much (see throw out your calendar, 1/3 rule, etc.)

July 12th 2011: (Observations from the field in the Greater Toronto Area)

This Spring brought lots of rain through April and May, in fact, record rainfalls that it made it very difficult to get out and work in your lawn and garden.  Lawns were spoiled and became complacent and lazy by not sending deep roots down in the soil to look for water.  June and July have brought very dry conditions with what is proving to be a hot and sunny summer with no rain except for the odd scattered thunderstorm (thunderstorms provide a lot of water in a short span and rarely soak the soil sufficiently).  Shallow rooted grass species such as Bentgrass, Annual Bluegrass and Rough Bluegrass expanded and thrived in lawns.  Lawns with shallow root systems are more susceptible to drought as the soil temperature is much higher near the surface.

This means lawns everywhere are going dormant, but not dead.  Dormant lawns are characterized by the yellow, brown appearance.  Most lawns can withstand not being watered for up t0 4-6 weeks, however damage can occur if they do not receive water for any longer period of time.

Most lawns will bounce back with cooler temperature and mother natures long rain showers, but how do you make sure?
Here are my 5 best lawn tips for summer lawn care:

1. Water deeply at least once a week for about 1.5 -2 hours in each area. Lawns need 1-1.5 inches off water each week to look their best.  Apply the water deeply no more than twice a week to deliver the prescribed amount.
2.  Mow high, at least 3 inches.  Longer blades up top, support deeper roots below!
3.  Only mow during the morning or evening, and only when the lawn reaches about 4 inches in height.  Mowing in high heat causes mechanical damage from the weight of the machine, and even more stress with walking on it during the intense heat and sun. (leaving the lawn to get too long and then hacking it down causes even more stress- expect yellowing within days!)
4.  Limit activity on the lawn.  The dormant blades and crowns are easily injured at this time.
5.  Check for Chinch bugs!  Chinch bugs love the heat and sun and can actively be sucking the remaining juices from your grass blades and inserting their turf killing toxic poison while you sit idly by.  Chinch damaged turf will not grow back and you will need to seed and top-dress these areas in September.
5 1/2. Fertilize only with a proper summer-balanced slow release fertilizer.  Using the wrong fertilizer can cause surge growth using up the plants vital energy for no benefit.  Better yet, you can burn your lawn by using quick release fertilizers or using too much at the wrong time of the year.

Important Notes: The typical Ontario lawn is primarily Kentucky Bluegrass.  It is important to note that you need to accept that most plants (including turf) just can’t grow in intense heat with no rain.  Even Weed Control is not as effective during high heat as the plant under stress can not absorb it adequately.  It is not reasonable to expect a Thick, Green lawn during times of drought, but with proper care, your lawn will bounce back beautifully in September while your neighbours are left scratching their heads. 

Unsure of what to do on your lawn with all this heat? Leave us a comment, we’d love to help!

Black Medic at the side of a driveway July 6 2011. The weed is thriving on the heat and drought stressed area.

We received an email the other day asking about the best way to control Black Medic on a home lawn.

Black Medic (Medicago lupulina) is a difficult to control weed due to its small leaf size and the waxy cuticle on the leaf that reduces absorption of the weed management product.

It normally takes 2-3 applications to start reducing the prevalence of black medic.

In the meanwhile, the most important parts of weed management are fertilizing the lawn to crowd out weeds and thicken the lawn, proper deep watering (as weeds invade weak lawns), and mowing properly and often. (Mowing also helps thicken the lawn. Plus bagging clippings when the weeds are in flower helps as the flowers produce seeds creating new weeds to contend with.)

Close up of Black Medic

Yellow-headed sawfly are attacking spruce trees right now. 

If something is eating the needles on your Spruce, you have Sawfly.

 These voracious eaters strip needles from spruce, and those needles will NEVER grow back. In three years, they can kill a tree. If your spruce is under attack DO NOT PRUNE the stripped branches. The bud at the tip is still alive, and will produce new needles next Spring which will disguise the damage. 

The adult sawfly - a tiny, non-stinging wasp

The adult stage of sawfly, Pikonema alaskensis, is a small, non-stinging wasp. It’s young, the larva, are what is eating your spruce.

Sawfly larva starting to devour a new needle

 They’re hard to detect at first, because they take on the colour of the needles they eat as camouflage. Look for them carefully though, as waiting until you see damage can result in this: 

A healthy tree can end up like this very quickly

If your spruce is infested, WE CAN KILL THEM, starting as low as $79.95 + tax. Give us a call right away! 

Your best defence is to be proactive. Watch for damage or larva throughout June. If you find only a few larva, and you only have a few trees, you may be able to take care of them yourself. 

You can just pull this pest off with your fingers

Look for the larva at the tips of the needles. They can be picked off with your fingers if there are only a couple. 

If you have many trees, a pressure-sprayer loaded with a mix of 5 ml (1 teaspoon) of plain liquid dish soap in 4 l (1 gallon) of water can be used to blast them off. 

The sawfly only has one breeding cycle a year, so get them quickly and have peace of mind!