A Beautiful and Healthy Lawn

It’s time to start working on that beautiful and healthy lawn in your yard. You don’t have to use chemicals to have a beautiful lawn. In fact, your lawn will be much healthier if you ban the use of chemicals. Many communities have and are in the process of banning the use of lawn chemicals (mine already has). The use of chemicals can poison soil and contaminate our water.

Use the following tips to get your lawn off drugs.

• Start off by testing your lawn’s soil, using a soil test kit. This will tell you how much organic matter is in the soil, the ph balance and what nutrients you need to obtain a perfect soil balance.

• Aerating your lawn at this time of year is always a good idea in order to prevent the soil from becoming compacted. This breaks through heavy thatch and allows nutrients and organic matter to reach your lawn’s root system. If water runs off your lawn easily when watering, it’s a sure sign that you need to aerate. Note: The best aerators in the world are earthworms.

• Check your lawn for thatch and if the thatch layer is more than a half inch thick, it’s time to de-thatch. Thatch prevents air, nutrients and water from getting to the soil which can cause a wide variety of problems. If you aerate and rake your lawn briskly, most of the thatch will be removed. You don’t have to get rid of all the thatch as some thatch is beneficial to your lawn as it promotes decomposition of grass clippings and organic matter.

• If your lawn has some bare spots, you need to reseed with a mixture of grass varieties. Most lawn diseases are very selective. By using a mixture of grasses, you will ensure that your lawn will not be totally wiped out by disease.

• You need to learn to tolerate beneficial weeds, such as clover. Clover is a nitrogen magic plant that will enhance the health and beauty of your lawn.

• The best type of weed control is to remove weeds by hand. Around 80% of all weeds are annuals. If you remove them before they go to seed, you will be rid of them. Some lawn weeds are perennials and you need to dig them out by root. It must be the entire root system to ensure they can’t grow back.

• Grass is always healthier when it is a bit longer. Grass should always be two to three inches high. To prevent it from going into shock you should only cut one third of the height of the grass at one time. Taller grass grows longer roots, shades the soil and prevents weed infiltration. It is also imperative that the mower blade is always sharp to prevent grass damage.

• Do not remove your grass clippings from your lawn. This saves you raking your lawn and also acts as natural fertilizer if they aren’t coated with chemicals. To promote the decomposition process though, you need to make sure the grass clippings are not clumped.

• There are several creatures that are the secret to having a healthy and drug free lawn. Invite beneficial micro organisms and earthworms to your lawn, as well as dragonflies, ladybugs, spiders, toads and frogs.

• Water your lawn thoroughly and deeply but only when it requires it. If you water frequently and lightly, your lawn will have shallow roots, which makes it more susceptible to disease and insects.

• Always use natural fertilizers. Organic fertilizer decomposes thatch and grass clippings quickly. Natural fertilizers release nutrients into the soil better and allow it to retain them longer. Sheep manure is one of the best natural fertilizers available.

• Do not use herbicides or pesticides. Chemicals kill birds, insects and earthworms that are beneficial to your lawn’s health. If you practice natural lawn care, you will discourage pests.

Beautiful Lawns “by the yard”