Are you looking for a safer, environmentally friendly approach to lawn and garden care? Want to achieve the home landscape of your dreams, but not sure which products are best for you or your turf? I have two words for you: "Think Organic!"

To do that, most homeowners must first adjust their vision of the perfect lawn. It is OK to have some broadleaf weeds in your grass, and the color does not need to be emerald green seven months of the year. Our lawns have long been one of the biggest consumers of chemicals in our everyday lives. Striving to produce a seamless expanse of lush green grass, we annually apply hundreds of pounds of fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides around our homes and loved ones.

This spring, try spreading a thin layer of screened compost over your grass. The compost, applied no thicker than ³/₈ inch, will work as a fertilizer and slowly releases nutrients as well as organic matter to the lawn. Without digging up the lawn, you have added organic matter to the soil base, and the naturally occurring micro-organisms in the compost will speed decomposition, thus reducing the need to dethatch.

If your lawn is already established, consider using corn gluten meal as a pre-emergent herbicide to control certain broadleaf weeds. This fine yellow powder is a byproduct obtained from corn milling. Nontoxic, biodegradable and relatively inexpensive, it has been used in dog food, fish flakes and other animal feeds. The high nitrogen content and excellent herbicidal properties combine to make corn gluten meal a good "weed and feed" product.

Burnout, another weed control, is composed of blended plant oils. It can be readily applied in walkways and shrub borders and is most effective on annual weeds. Eradication of perennial weeds may require more than one application.

For a different approach to weed control, try a weed torch. Flaming destroys the cell structure of the leaf and works well on weeds such as Pennsylvania bittercress (Cardamine pensylvanica), which readily self sows. For best results, flaming should be attempted in spring when weeds are small, approximately 1 to 4 inches in height. Extreme care should be taken when using the torch near established plants, in particular evergreens, which are very flammable. Do not attempt to eradicate poison ivy or poison oak; the resulting smoke may irritate skin, eyes and lungs.

Horticultural oils are important tools when attempting to manage insect pests, such as scales, aphids and mites on woody plants. These products are highly refined petroleum oils that are combined with an emulsifying agent. The oils coat the insects, blocking the air holes through which they breathe, causing death by suffocation. In some cases, the oils may also act as poisons, interfering with the normal metabolism of the insect, resulting in death.

Consider using Pyola to control insects on vegetables, fruits, shrubs and trees. A broad spectrum spray, it combines pyrethrum, derived from chrysanthemum flowers, and canola oil, which is extracted from rapeseed. Pyrola can be applied as a dormant spray and throughout the growing season to control all stages of an insect's life cycle, from egg to adult. Since its usage is not based on precise timing, it can be more successful.

Neem oil is derived from the seeds of the neem tree (Azadirachta indica), a native to Southeast Asia and India, and is used as an herbal medicine and in cosmetics. The multiple modes of action inherent to the oil make Neem a valuable insecticide, miticide and even fungicide. This broad spectrum botanical pesticide works as a growth regulator, disrupting the metamorphosis of certain insects. The oil has a bitter taste, which hinders insects from feeding on treated plants. And, it can coat and suffocate certain soft-bodied insects such as mites, whiteflies and aphids.

If you have a problem with slugs in your garden, consider Sluggo. A nontoxic bait, it works well to deter the slimy pests from feeding on your favorite plants. Sluggo pellets are made from iron phosphate. Occurring naturally in many soils, iron phosphate will not harm pets or birds and can be safely used in the vegetable garden.