A Guide To Organic Lawn Care
As we are all trying to become better stewards of the Earth a lot of people are "going organic" with food and produce. Some are even going organic with their lawn care. It isn't as difficult as you may think. Those that preach organic lawn care will tell you to follow these few tips. First, it's always best, no matter how you plan to care for your lawn, but especially if you're going to start organic lawn care to start with a proper soil base for healthy vibrant grass. This soil base should be around 4 inches in depth. If you're not going to do this first step you should reconsider organic lawn care. Any grass seed that you use must have a base in which to put down it's roots. The allure of organic lawn care is that you won't be using weed killers and other lawn additives. In order to get the best result possible you're going to have to start with very healthy grass that will be able to stand against weed invasions. Choose the right seed for your region of the country. Some grasses handle the seasonal aspects of particular regions better than others. Check with your local extension service. Use an organic fertilizer. Fertilize in spring and fall. Have the pH of your soil tested. Grass thrives in a pH of 6.5 It's best to have the pH of your lawn professionally tested as home test kits don't always give accurate results. Some local extension offices will test pH for free, some for a nominal fee. Add lime as recommended. Mow your grass high. This helps to keep your grass healthy and helps your grass to crowd out unwanted weeds. Mowing your grass very short is never a good idea, especially in the hot summertime. It's very stressful on grass and will take it's toll. No matter the length of the grass never cut back more than 1/3 of the length. If you have a mower that allows, keep the lawn mown to 3 inches. Leave the grass clippings on the lawn. It adds nutrients back into the soil. When you notice weeds growing in you lawn you may want to mow more to keep topping off the weeds to help prevent them from seeding. This advice about watering holds true whether you start an organic lawn care program or not. Whenever you water your grass, water deeply. Watering your lawn deeply helps make your lawn more drought resistant. The deeper you water the deeper the roots of the grass will grow. When you water lightly the roots don't have to go as deep into the soil. Shallow roots make for grass that can't handle the hot summer weather. |
