How Do I Let My Lawn Go Au Naturale?

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Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Healthy Child:

Children love to roll around on grass. But many lawns are maintained with toxic chemicals that can pose serious health risks to children and pets. Also, using toxic chemicals to maintain lawns actually may do a bit of harm to the lawn itself by depleting soil nutrients and weakening the turf.

It's easy to keep a lawn green and lush without chemicals though. In fact, healthy lawns naturally resist most weeds, insects and disease. Ultimately, lawn pests should not be regarded as enemies, but rather as indicators of grass stress. Lawn invaders let you know that something is not right and that your grass needs help to survive.

Here are some starting tips for letting your lawn go au naturale:

Choose a grass variety that is suited to your climate and soil. Such a variety is more likely to thrive without a lot of attention. Check with your nursery or agricultural cooperative extension agent for suggestions. Consider other types of ground cover, too, to reduce the amount of lawn that you must actively manage.

A healthy lawn needs healthy soil. Your lawn needs the proper balance of nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Adding organic compost naturally builds these nutrients in soil. A local nursery will be able to suggest alternatives.

Aerate soil. Grass roots need air to circulate around them and water to penetrate the turf. Earthworms thrive in healthy, pesticide-free soil and provide the best soil aeration.

Rake your lawn to reduce thatch build up. Thatch is the layer of decomposing plant material that naturally develops between the grass blades and soil. Thatch prevents water and nutrients from penetrating the soil. Earthworms help keep the thatch layer in balance.

Mow high, not low. Longer grass can take in more sunlight and moisture, making the grass stronger and less likely to have pest problems. Make sure the blade is sharp to prevent tearing the grass. If you leave your clippings on the lawn, they can recycle nitrogen back into the soil.

Weed manually. Pour boiling water on troublesome weeds and use good tools, like a dandelion digger to get at all the roots.

Water your lawn deeply. Allow the water to soak in and dry out before you water again. Deep, infrequent watering is the healthiest for the soil. Watering in the early morning is best to reduce evaporation.

Your local agricultural extension agent can help give you further advice on all of the tips listed above. To find your local extension agent, look in your telephone book under county government or look on U.S. Department of Agriculture State Partners of the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service website.

Find Out More:

Posted by Gardener on 11/01/2011 at 03:24 AM

I found a non-toxic weedkiller recipe that you can make at home with a few simple ingredients - just add 1/4 cup of salt to 1/2 gallon of boiling water and 2/3 cup of white vinegar.

I also think that keeping the edges of your lawn looking neat makes a big difference - one tip is if you find an edge that is particularly damaged, just cut a block that includes the broken part then spin it round, leaving the straight edge to fill in the gap. Then just add some grass seed to the affected area - works a treat!

Posted by Joe on 06/24/2011 at 08:52 PM

This is a great article. With a little effort and concern, you can have a nice looking and healthy lawn without having to use pesticides or herbicides. I try and keep yard waste off my lawn, I mow the lawn at an optimal height and only water when absolutely needed. My lawn has a few weeds but what lawn has not a single weed?

Posted by Lisa Imerman on 05/31/2011 at 11:28 AM

We have a lot of weeds and dandelions in our yard and some other issues, but we have an all natural lawn company (Bio-Turf) who comes and treats our lawn based on a soil test, so he puts the nutrients it needs onto it in a seasonal manner. We started it last year (after trying another company that was natural but our lawn got worse). Although we still have weeds, there are less this year and our grass looks so much better. All this rain helped too.

We have community well water and it really upsets me because all our neighbors put toxic chemicals on their lawns for years. However, some folks moved out and the new neighbors don’t spray, but another house sold next door and he puts his own chemicals on and I am pretty sure they are toxic. Most of the folks in our sub spray or put toxins on their lawn. Unfortunate!!

Posted by Barb Lund on 05/29/2011 at 07:42 AM

It is also important to keep in mind that any pesticides, herbicides (chemical weed killers), and chemical fertilizers do not simply sit on the lawn where you spray them. They soak down into the soil, and ultimately into the water supply. Municipal water supplies do not filter for such chemicals. Remember that it is all connected…
If you do like to fertilize your lawn, we found a wonderful bio-based alternative to chemical fertilizers called Bio Green. It is fairly new and thus not available in all areas, but we have been quite pleased with it and feel great about letting our babies (9 month twin boys) and dog play on our lawn.

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