More and more households are concerned about global warming. So many of them are doing things that are more earth-friendly. That means they’re going organic.
Organic lawn care is when nature ensures that your grass stays healthy. Here are 17 tips on how to employ nature in your lawn care plans.
- Only about 2 percent of the insects found on your lawn are really pests. So let the other 98 percent assure that your lawn stays healthy.
- Organic matter such as compost builds healthy soil. Spread an inch of it on the lawn in the fall and water it in.
- Corn gluten is an organic way to control weeds. It stops weed seeds from germinating and introduces valuable nitrogen to the soil.
- Focus your time on eradicating the large, seed-producing weeds.
- Leave the grass clippings on the lawn after mowing.
- A 5 percent increase of organic matter in your lawn will quadruple the soil’s capability to hold water.
- Mow only when the grass is dry for the best results.
- Use organic, slow-release fertilizer on your lawn and soil to break down materials that help your grass last longer.
- Avoid using chemical fertilizers on your lawn. They ruin soil structure, kill good microbes, and repel needed earthworms.
- Cut the grass high and leave the clippings to mulch on the lawn to keep grab grass from growing and attract earthworms that break up the thatch, aerate the soil, and reduce compaction.
- Regularly remove dandelions from your lawn to keep their seeds from spreading.
- An assortment of grass species in your lawn increases growing potential.
- Use a reel mower instead of a rotary mower to enhance the health of the grass blades.
- Apply 1-inch of water to your lawn in the morning each week to help it flourish and to prevent diseases.
- Aerate your lawn every two years to eliminate thatch and permit air, nutrients, and water to reach deep into the root zone.
- Water longer but less often to promote deep roots and a healthier lawn. Move the soil with a trowel after watering to assure that it’s moist 4-inches to 6-inches deep. If not, keep watering.
- Get rid of the grubs that live in your lawn and you will get rid of the moles that eat them.
