Lawn Care near you

Many lawn problems start with mowing too short. Taller grass shades the soil, keeps it cooler and moister and makes it harder for weed seeds to sprout, so a good crew keeps the mower set high, cuts often enough that each pass removes only a small part of the blade, and keeps blades sharp. Clippings left on the lawn break down quickly and return nutrients to the soil.

Deep, occasional watering early in the day grows deeper roots than a light daily sprinkle, and an established lawn can go brown and dormant in a dry spell, then recover when rain returns. Watering is also regulated. In Montreal, sprinklers may run only on even or odd days matching your address, from 3 to 6 a.m. for automatic systems or 8 to 11 p.m. for movable sprinklers, and a new lawn may be watered every day for 15 days after it is laid or seeded. Other municipalities publish their own schedules and can ban watering during heat waves or shortages.

Fertilizer works best in moderate amounts at the right moment, generally spring and late summer or fall. Too much, especially in midsummer heat, pushes soft growth that invites disease, and granules left on driveways wash into storm drains, so a careful crew blows them back onto the grass.

These treatments repair a lawn rather than just feed it, and they work best together: aeration relieves compaction, dethatching clears the mat that blocks water and air, and overseeding fills gaps with new grass before weeds move in. None is needed every visit; a good company recommends them based on what it finds.

Before treating anything, a good technician finds the cause. Brown patches can come from grubs, drought, dog urine, salt, snow mould or dull mower blades, and each calls for a different fix.

Ontario bans the cosmetic use of pesticides. On lawns, gardens, patios and driveways, homeowners may only use products whose active ingredients all appear on the province's Allowable List, which includes lower-risk options such as soap, sulphur and corn gluten meal; products containing ingredients such as 2,4-D or glyphosate can't be used there. The province's exceptions cover health and safety, such as poison ivy and giant hogweed, wasps and mosquitoes, and pests that can damage a home's structure. Lawn weeds are not on that list.

In Quebec, the Pesticides Management Code bars the highest-risk pesticides from lawns, trees, shrubs, vegetable gardens and flowerbeds, and the government publishes the trade names of prohibited products. Its household guidance asks residents to try alternatives first and to follow municipal rules. Montreal, for one, prohibits residents from using pesticides that contain the molecules on its banned list, and fines apply. Many other municipalities in both provinces have bylaws of their own, so ask any lawn care company which products it plans to apply and whether it holds the permit or licence its province requires.