Not a lawn geek
Yesterday, I went to see a new client about his ripped-up front lawn. It’s another European chafer beetle disaster, as birds and raccoons show up to feast on juicy grubs in the lawn.
To access the juicy grubs, the birds destroy the lawn. It looks awful, and if it hasn’t happened to your lawn yet, I’m sure you’ve seen the damage. It’s hard to drive through the city without seeing the damage.
But this blog post isn’t exactly about Chafer beetles. It’s about the homeowners, like the gentleman I met yesterday. He openly admitted to not being a lawn geek. His main issue was being a good neighbour, which meant fixing his front lawn so it looked green and healthy again. Not all messed up, like some ghetto lawn where there is no budget. He has cash; he just needs help.
Green First! Landscaping
Now, this is where I come into the picture. The owner is a software developer, and he works from home, so Googling a landscaper is a breeze for him. And he found me thanks to my Google Maps profile, which used to be Google MyBiz before it got migrated to Maps.
I was the second landscape company he called; the first dudes didn’t reply. I did, of course. This shows how well Google Maps works. It’s a brilliant idea, both for contractors and homeowners.
I have my profile geographically set to the Tri-Cities (Port Moody, Coquitlam, and Port Coquitlam), plus Burnaby and New Westminster. That way, most of my work is close to home, and I don’t waste time driving.
The fix
So how do we fix the problem? You might want to do it yourself to stop your neighbours from whispering.
First, rake up the mess and dump it in your green waste bin. You would be surprised how much junk is generated in this initial step. You can run it into your green waste dump for free as a resident, or just feed it into your green bin weekly. Just make sure your lawn is nicely raked up.
In step two, we install lawn and garden mix soil onto your damaged lawn areas. You can have it delivered to your house, but the delivery isn’t cheap. Where I live, it’s $75 and up, depending on your address.
Spread the soil evenly, and roll it with a rolling pin. You can rent one at Home Depot or just walk over the lawn like I sometimes do. Once the bare patches are covered with soil and nicely levelled, you’re ready for step three.
In step three, we apply good-quality grass seed. I like to apply it, lightly rake it, and apply a bit more seed over top. Now, your seed will need water and temperatures to germinate, so make sure your watering is gentle. The last thing you want to do is wash away your pricey seed.
Future
Once your new grass seed germinates, try to take good care of your lawn, even if you’re not a lawn geek. Fertilise your lawn seasonally or monthly, if you don’t mind mowing often. Water it regularly, and make sure your mower isn’t set too low. Very short grass dries out easily and doesn’t shade out weeds. Your mower should be set at just over three inches. And mulch your clippings, if you can.
