Lessen your carbon footprint with organic lawn care
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Before the advent of the modern lawn care industry, the presence of clover, a nitrogen-capturing legume, was a good thing.
The idea of what constituted beautiful, well-kept grass changed with the manufacture of synthetic fertilizers in the 1940s. Fertilizer was paired with a surplus defoliating chemical that its manufacturer was looking to "repurpose" at the end of World War II. The marriage, a product known as weed and feed, has been the cornerstone of lawn care in America since 1948.
It's Only Natural, Jim Bartasavich: 412-310-9753
C.L. Logsdon Lawn Grooming, Chuck Logsdon: 724-413-2659 or logsdon777@hotmail.com
Octopus Organic Gardening, Jeff Jaeger: 412-389-8251 or www. octopusorganic.com
J.A. Miller Enterprises, Jason Miller: 724-643-0616
Sixty years later, we spend more money, use more water and spray more chemicals on our lawns and gardens than we do to grow our food. Considering the increasing evidence of harm to people, animals and ecosystems from products in common use, it may be time to take a look at organic lawn care. The most fundamental component of a natural lawn is healthy soil. This is the basis for all organic gardening, and many of the practices for growing healthy turf can be applied equally to growing vigorous, chemical-free shrubs, herbaceous ornamentals and vegetable gardens. The first step should always be a soil test to determine nutrient levels, pH and the percentage of organic matter. Unlike conventional lawn care, with its one-size-fits-all approach to weed control and fertilizing, the natural approach begins by looking at your soil and applying only those products needed in balanced amounts to support healthy growth.
Organic matter is the one amendment that needs to be replenished, in most cases, every spring and fall. Usually this is done by applying a thin layer of compost that is raked into the grass and/or an application of compost tea. Soil that is not treated with chemicals is teeming with life: microbes, fungi, earthworms and other organisms. Earthworms aerate the soil and compost organic matter; mycorrhizae enable plant roots to take up and use nutrients. The presence of these soil organisms determine fertility and the vigor of your grass (or any plant), resistance to disease and susceptibility to pests.
First Published April 14, 2011 12:00 am
