Organic Lawn Care
An organic lawn grows beautifully, is safe for you and your family (pets and wildlife included) and needs minimal care.
Growing a healthy and safe lawn is as simple as
using common sense—organic common sense, that is. If you build the soil and
use a few basic cultural techniques, you'll have a lush stand of turfgrass
without harming kids, pets, wildlife, the water supply, and the rest of the
environment. Here are three easy steps to get started on a thick, green organic
lawn.
Mow high
The simplest way to help your organic lawn grow up healthy and dense is to
adjust your mower's cutting height to its highest setting. Why? Tall blades of
grass have more surface area exposed to the sun, enabling them to
photosynthesize more sugars and starches for greater root growth. Greater root
mass means better access to water and nutrients, so plants are more tolerant of
drought and can recover more rapidly from dormancy.
· Cut
grass to 3 to 4 inches tall. Most grasses can be mowed to a height of 3 to 4
inches. Some varieties, particularly fine fescues and centipede grass, fall over
at that height and should be mowed a half inch to an inch shorter than other
grasses.
· Remove
just one-third of the blade. No matter how tall the turf, refrain from
cutting off more than one-third of each grass blade in any single mowing, or you
risk stressing the grass. And cutting off just one-third will produce small
clippings, which you should leave on your lawn right where they fall.
· Keep
the mower blade sharp. A dull lawn-mower blade will tear grass, and the
jagged wounds make the plants susceptible to infection and allow for more rapid
evaporation. I recommend sharpening the mower blade after every 8 hours or so of
cutting. Most hardware stores and any power-equipment dealer will sharpen your
blade quickly and inexpensively.
Leave the clippings on the
lawn
As grass clippings decompose, they contribute valuable nitrogen to the soil,
almost 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of soil each season or about
half of the lawn's annual fertilizer needs. They also add organic matter and
provide a variety of other benefits to the soil and grass. Many people believe,
however, that clippings left on the lawn contribute to thatchdead or dying grass
parts (such as stems, stolons, crowns, and roots) that form a layer on top of
the soil and obstruct moisture and oxygen from reaching plant roots. But just
the opposite is true: Fresh clippings stimulate earthworm activity, which breaks
down thatch.
Fear no weeds
You'll leave no room for weeds if you mow your grass often (but not too low)
with a sharp blade and grow it in soil that's rich in organic matter and
biological activity. Researchers at the University of Maryland confirmed that
mowing cool-season turfgrasses to 3 inches high works as well as or better than
herbicides for suppressing crabgrass. In my experience, dandelions, common
purslane, and other low-growing annual weeds also do not survive in a lawn
that's cut high
Steps
To An Organic Lawn
Sharpen
up
Dull lawn mower blades tear at grass, giving it a
frayed look and making it more susceptible to disease. Sharpen the blade now to
assure a neat, clean cut. The local hardware store or lawn mower dealer can
sharpen your blades quickly—for about $5 a blade.
Cut it high and often
Leave the grass no shorter than 2.5 to 3 inches
tall. Short grass doesn't compete well with weeds, has less surface area for
taking in sunlight, and has weak roots. And tall grass looks thicker. Just be
sure you never cut off more than a third of the grass blades at any one time,
even if you have to cut weekly, or more.
Drop those clippings
Leave the grass clippings where they fall. They
provide half of your lawn's nitrogen needs. And they add organic matter to your
soil, which keeps important beneficial microbes in the soil active and
well-nourished.
Don't overfeed
Many people fertilize their lawn too much, too
often. That makes the grass susceptible to disease. And it makes the lawn grow
faster, so you have to mow more often. Most lawn grasses require 3 to 4 pounds
of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet annually. Grass clippings left on the lawn
return about 2 pounds of nitrogen to the soil. Spread a quarter-inch layer of
compost on the lawn and you add another pound. (Simply fan the compost onto the
yard with a shovel and rake it out evenly.) For many lawns, that's enough
fertilizing for the year.
Feed right when you do
If you dont have/can't get enough compost, apply
organic fertilizers made of plant residues and by-products of animal
processing—blood meal or feather meal. Look for a product with an NPK
(nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) ratio of approximately 3-1-2. Apply no more than
1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet during each application. Be aware that
organic fertilizers are release their nutrients slowly, so you get gradual, but
sustained "green up" for your lawn. Chemical fertilizers green up the
grass quicker, but leave the grass hungry for more quickly, too.
Drop that hose
Resist the urge to sprinkle each evening. Frequent
watering promotes shallow roots. Instead, give the lawn one good soaking per
week and take rainfall into consideration.
Crowd out or pull weeds
Researchers at the University of Maryland have found
that mowing cool-season turfgrasses to 3 inches high works as well as or better
than herbicides for suppressing crabgrass. Dandelions, the bane of cool-season
lawns, send down a taproot as deep as 1 foot. To kill an established dandelion,
you have to remove at least 4 to 5 inches of the root. You can use a sharp
trowel or knife to do the job, or buy one of those nifty weed-extraction tools.
And remember, by simply keeping your grass at least 2.5 inches high, you will
shade many dandelion and other weed seeds so they won't sprout.
Knock out weed sprouts
Corn-gluten meal is a by-product of food processing
that's used to feed livestock. It's also a proven killer of weed seeds and
seedlings. Spread it on your lawn in spring, and it reduces any newly sprouted
weeds. It will also kill new grass seed, so use it only on an established lawn.
And because gluten contains 10 percent nitrogen, be sure to factor it in if you
decide to fertilize. You can think of it as organic "weed 'n feed."
Cover the bare spots
After you remove a dandelion or other weed,
immediately sow grass seed onto bare spots to discourage other weeds from moving
in. Rough up the soil with a rake, broadcast the seed, and cover it with sifted
compost or topsoil. Keep the area moist until the grass sprouts.
