Frequently Asked Questions

There are several theories on how best to water your lawn. The best way is to have a sprinkler system installed and have it set for you on your behalf. Watering your lawn requires a bit of strategy. Unless the weather forecast calls for hot dry weather, watering in May is really unnecessary. The grass grows in spring weather more than an inch per day and the cooler temperatures conbined with rainy periods is plenty of water for a lawn.

People who do not have sprinkler systems installed (or the majority of us) should consider watering three times a week in the mornings. Give your lawns a good soaking for about 40 minutes each time. This is no point in watering more than three times. Grass roots that are watered too much remain on the surface as their nutrients are always close at hand. Roots that are watered less often will grow deeper into the soil in search of water and nutrients. Many of our clients will leave it to mother nature if they believe there is rain in the forecast. In many circumstances it doesn't rain in your area and the rain is insufficent. Please watch for that.

Around labour day in the Ottawa region, the temperatures begin to cool once again and scaling back the watering is probably a good idea. Many of our clients turn their sprinklers off by mid-September as the cooler temperatures and morning dew is plenty to keep the grass growing.

In the spring, our company cuts grass at three inches, once per week. Naturally by the time same time the following week the grass can have doubled in height. In some cases we bag the clippings as large amounts of grass clippings can suffocate a lawn and cause thatching to occur. We are asked if cutting the grass short will make a difference. At an inch a day, cutting the grass shorter creates more of a mess and you're only really buying a half days reprieve. If your lawn is very healthy and growing thick, consider paying a little extra to have your clippings bagged for curbside pickup in the spring. Remember that your provider will take more time to bag the clippings and a bag after taxes costs about $1.00 a piece.

There should be no need for bagging in the summer months as the grass is not growing as fast and the clippings are not as heavy. Quite often grass goes dormant in Jyly and August and grows a little slower in the fall months.

During the months of May and June, dandelions are a huge problem in the Ottawa region. We often see clients plucking them manually, which is quite labour intensive. Others try organic sprays which do not really work. Some hire companies to spray weed-prevent on their lawns.

Weeds such as dandelion are airborne and they do not need much of a surface to begin growth. Weeds outgrow grass almost always. In some cases, mowers cutting over them cause the long stems to bend of the flower to clip off and the next day they are huge again. In fact, we've had clients call us and ask if we had cut their lawns.

Putting pesticides like Killex on your lawn is prohibited in Ontario as are other pesticides. In order for a company to spray your lawn, they require licensing and additional insurance. Their products are not of the prohibited variety but in various cases they do work well. Medeiros and Sons Lawn Care subcontracts weed prevention to one of the larger weed prevention companies that do the work on our behalf.

In April each year, consider have Medeiros and Sons put down corn gluten meal on your lawn. This needs to be done before weeds begin to germinate and grass begins growing. It will have an impact on some types of weeds and you'll have fewer of them. You may still have weeds, but you shouldn't have as many.

During the summer months, you'll see weeds such as crab grass and others grab a foothold around the edges of your lawn. Again, some people pluck them and others try and spray them. By July, most of the dandelions will be gone, as dandelions do not like hot dry weather. For weeds such as clover, creeping charlie, and other weeds, we typically send in professionals.

For dog urine, there are amounts of nitrogen release. You'll notice that some lawns have yellow spots, whereas others grow thicker grass. This is true of nitrogen, large amounts concentrated on your lawn will burn the grass. There is research to support that female dogs release higher amounts of nitrogen in their urine and male dogs release less amounts. It may make sense that if you have a male dog, you may not have an issue with your lawn, however this is not true in every case.

Leaving dog feces on your lawn is a health concern, pure and simple. The rotting of the feces can cause health risks to humans. This is one of the reasons that we may send you an email or letter asking you to pick it up before we cut each week. Mowers and trimmers can shred, spread, and send the particles into the air. In some cases, our workers have had particles shoot up into their faces and eyes. This can lead to illnesses.

Please remove dog feces from your lawn before we cut.

Weeds do not need much to begin growing. They can grow in the smallest of cracks and crevices. People who do not keep their curb line clean, will see weeds growing on the street right at the curb. The grass looks great, but the weeds are an eyesore. If there are no vehicles there, Medeiros and Sons will trim it and keep it down. Consider sweeping up the dirt along the curb to keep it clean.

When there are vehicles present, we cannot trim the curb line. The cause for concern is that a stone may catch the trimmer and may cause a dent in your vehicle. In most cases, our company will do the same and trim along walkways when weeds are growing there. An alternate approach is putting a large amount of salt in a spray bottle with water and spraying the paths. Do not spray grass or plants as it will cause damage. The salt will cause the weeds to dry out and disappear.

Some people place stone dust, geotextile fabric, and river rock on flower beds. Some place mulch with the expectation that weeds will not penetrate the geotextile fabric. It may prevent or slow down weed growth but because weeds are airborne, they will find a way to grow. If there are no plants, consider using a salt and water mix to spray weeds, but do not spray plant life with it.

Weekly maintenance is a good idea to keep weeds down. Consider plucking them on a weekly basis if you are able to. What often happens is that people become busy and they do not have time to pluck weeds and the next thing you know beautiful beds are now full of weeds. This quite often results in people abandoning their garden beds altogether.

This is a service that some providers do for their clients but because it is very labour intensive and takes all day at time, it can be quite costly. If you are able to, consider doing a little bit each week to keep weeds down.

If you'd like to have nice grapes on your property, consider trimming them down each spring and have someone come back in the summer and trim excess growth. The idea is that grapes contain a lot of water. The more roots there are the smaller the grapes.

Vines can grow six to ten feet in a season with many sprouting branches. The branches will find a way to tie themselves down to something, however it is better to tie them down manually into areas you want them to grow.

This is a service our company provides and we can attend your property and trim them down for you. Harvesting grapes is normally done in mid-September.

You should also be aware that racoons love grapes and so do japanese beetles (they devour the leaves). Ensure that your grape vines are treated for that purpose.