12-Step Organic Lawn Care Program
1. Decide
- So, you've decided to implement organic lawn care. This involves actively caring for your lawn and ensuring that both the soil and plants are healthy. It also means adopting a new perspective on your lawn and those plants known as "weeds". Some so-called weeds are actually beneficial to your lawn and soil. For example, clover fixes nitrogen from the air and adds it to the soil. Prior to the advent of chemical pesticides, this plant was a common component of seed mixes and lawns.
2. Water
- Water deeply (about 2.5 cm or 1 in.) in the early morning or early evening once a week (if it has not rained). To measure the amount of water you are applying, place a can under the sprinkler and time how long it takes for an inch to accumulate.
3. Mow
- Mowing is one of the most important aspects of organic lawn care. Research at the University of Guelph demonstrated that 7.5 cm (3 in.) is an ideal height for turf grass because it shades out weeds, which prefer more sunny and open locations. Taller turf also shades soil, keeping it cool and moist and prevents evaporation.
- Cut no more than one third of the blade at once. Cutting off more than this may cause shock as a huge portion of a grass plant's food factory is eliminated all at once.
- Sharpen your blade - cut your grass with a sharp blade to prevent tearing and stressing of the grass blades.
4. Mulch
- Grass clippings are the perfect fertilizer for lawns. They are free, convenient, full of nutrients and organic matter and able to boost soil fertility by up to 30 per cent. Use a mulching blade that distributes the clippings fairly evenly throughout the lawn - you don't need a mulching mower to grasscycle. They will quickly decompose.
- By leaving the clippings on the lawn, you require fewer or no inputs and ship out less or no waste. Thus, you are in fact closing the "system" - making it more self-sustainable and less taxing on yourself and the planet.
5. Monitor your Lawn
- Monitor your lawn for insects, weeds and diseases. A small and stable pest population in an otherwise healthy lawn is hardly noticeable and not demanding of action. If however, the problem begins to threaten the overall health of your lawn, action is required.
6. Troubleshoot
- Consult the chart on the next page for insect and weed problems. Over time, a healthy organic lawn will crowd out most weeds and become resistant to insect problems.
7. Rake
- Use a stiff rake to gently remove thatch, increase air circulation and discourage fungal growth. Rake after grass dries out, but before weed seeds start to germinate in earnest.
8. Fertilize Naturally
- Fertilize with organic products such as finished compost, grass clippings and/or slow-release organic products (e.g., well-aged manure and seaweed). Organic fertilizers are best applied in late summer - early fall but may also by used in the early spring. Compost and grass clippings can be applied throughout the growing season.
9. Aerate
- If your soil is compacted, aerate in the spring and/or fall before fertilizing and seeding. This increases air and water circulation. Rent a mechanical aerator, or hire an organic lawn care company to do the work for you. Manual aerators are well suited for small to mid-sized lawns.
10. Top-dress
- Spread finished compost, topsoil and/or composted manure over your entire lawn after aerating and weeding and before seeding. This adds nutrients and micro-organisms to your lawn.
11. Overseed
- Grass plants, like all living things, eventually die. This is why overseeding every year in spring or late summer is a good idea. Introduce hardy, pest-resistant grass species such as endophytic perennial ryes and fine fescues into your lawn. Allow seeds time to germinate in cool, moist conditions and the grass to become well-established prior to the hot, dry weather of summer. Keep seeded areas moist until grass is well established.
12. Pride
- Take pride in your lawn, the care you provide it and the environmental ethic that guides your actions and decisions. By implementing organic lawn care you are demonstrating to neighbours that alternatives to chemical lawn care and to the conventional lawn do exist.
SOURCE: Organic Landscape Alliance
