Green lawns seem to be a rite of spring and part of summertime fun. But creating that suburban dream can come at a big cost to the environment and the wild animals that call our yards home. Going organic and still having a green lawn isn't just a pipe dream, it can become your reality! So forget the synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides this year and begin the transition to organic. The following tips are quoted from "Six Tips for a Lawn You'll Love" by Fern Bradley. Fern is one of the editors of the Reader's Digest All-New Guide to Gardening and has a number of posts on the Reader's Digest Living Healthy Blog.
1. Leave it long to prosper. One of the simplest changes is to start letting your grass grow longer—3 inches long—before you mow it. And when you do mow, never remove more than one-third of the height at one time. This stresses the grass less, and the longer lawn naturally shades out weeds.
2. Stop bagging the clippings. Grass clippings are natural fertilizer. Leave them in place each time your mow, and in the course of a year, they’ll add roughly 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet to your lawn.
3. Spread compost. Stop applying chemical fertilizer and substitute compost instead. Apply screened compost at least once a year, spreading a layer that’s no more than 1/4-inch thick. You can do the job by hand with a rake or use a drop spreader.
4. Water deeply. If you must irrigate your lawn, be prepared to soak it thoroughly. This will encourage roots to grow deeper into the soil, and that strengthens your lawn over time.
5. Overseed for a lusher lawn. If your lawn seems sparse, perhaps it just needs more grass plants! You can apply more grass seed right to your existing lawn. It may help to aerate or dethatch your lawn before you spread the seed. Fall is the right time to overseed cool-season grasses; spring for warm-season grasses.
6. Diagnose problems before you treat. If your lawn is looking sickly with patches of dying or dead grass or other unusual symptoms, make sure you diagnose the problem properly before you try to treat it. Gardening reference books like the All-New Illustrated Guide to Gardening include charts of lawn pest and disease symptoms and treatments, or try taking a digital photo of the problem and e-mail it to your local cooperative extension service for a diagnosis.
Exploring environmental sustainability with the staff of Chippewa Nature Center.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Organic Lawns Made Easy
Green lawns seem to be a rite of spring and part of summertime fun. But creating that suburban dream can come at a big cost to the environment and the wild animals that call our yards home. Going organic and still having a green lawn isn't just a pipe dream, it can become your reality! So forget the synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides this year and begin the transition to organic. The following tips are quoted from "Six Tips for a Lawn You'll Love" by Fern Bradley. Fern is one of the editors of the Reader's Digest All-New Guide to Gardening and has a number of posts on the Reader's Digest Living Healthy Blog.
1. Leave it long to prosper. One of the simplest changes is to start letting your grass grow longer—3 inches long—before you mow it. And when you do mow, never remove more than one-third of the height at one time. This stresses the grass less, and the longer lawn naturally shades out weeds.
2. Stop bagging the clippings. Grass clippings are natural fertilizer. Leave them in place each time your mow, and in the course of a year, they’ll add roughly 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet to your lawn.
3. Spread compost. Stop applying chemical fertilizer and substitute compost instead. Apply screened compost at least once a year, spreading a layer that’s no more than 1/4-inch thick. You can do the job by hand with a rake or use a drop spreader.
4. Water deeply. If you must irrigate your lawn, be prepared to soak it thoroughly. This will encourage roots to grow deeper into the soil, and that strengthens your lawn over time.
5. Overseed for a lusher lawn. If your lawn seems sparse, perhaps it just needs more grass plants! You can apply more grass seed right to your existing lawn. It may help to aerate or dethatch your lawn before you spread the seed. Fall is the right time to overseed cool-season grasses; spring for warm-season grasses.
6. Diagnose problems before you treat. If your lawn is looking sickly with patches of dying or dead grass or other unusual symptoms, make sure you diagnose the problem properly before you try to treat it. Gardening reference books like the All-New Illustrated Guide to Gardening include charts of lawn pest and disease symptoms and treatments, or try taking a digital photo of the problem and e-mail it to your local cooperative extension service for a diagnosis.
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