 |
A Homeowner's Guide to Organic Lawn Care
|
 |
|
ORGANIC LAWN CARE Why Organic? High Cost of Synthetic Pesticides Effect on Humans and Pets Environmental Concerns How They Damage Your Lawn Organic Overview Healthy Soil Appropriate Plantings Thick, Deep-Rooted Grass Regular Maintenance Lowdown on Lawn History The New World: Golf & Games Parks and Suburbs Communism and Crabgrass Know Your Lawn Soil Water Grass Lawn Rehab (Planning) Starting Off Right The Future (What You Want) The Present (What You've Got) Lawn Rehab (Practice) Thatch Weeds Compaction Soil Amendments Overseeding Fertilizing Regular Maintenance Mowing Watering Weeding Seasonal Maintenance Whacking Weeds Aerate the Soil Trashing Thatch Amend the Soil Keep It Green: Fertilize Pets, Pests & Problems Dogs and the Perfect Lawn Pest Control: Guidelines Bugs & Thugs Moles Weed Control Diseases Alternatives to Grass Ornamental Grasses Shade Lovers Sun Lovers Low Water Ground Covers Under Pines -- Acid-Tolerant Switching from NitroLawn To Do List: Any Time of Year To Do List: Fall/Early Spring Using a Lawn Care Company Sites & Sources Books & Articles Websites  This site is brought to you by www.PlanetNatural.com  |
 |
|
 |
 Organic Lawn Care: A Common Sense ApproachBy Paul Sachs, Northeast Organic Farming Association The philosophy of growing turf (or anything else) organically is simply that a healthy soil grows healthy plants. When you feed the life in the soil, those growing populations of microorganisms begin to accomplish many jobs that now consume great amounts of your time, money, and energy. For example, microorganisms serve to help: fertilize, by fixing nitrogen from the air, mineralizing soil organic nutrient, generating carbon dioxide (the plant's most needed nutrient), and dissolving mineral nutrient from rock; de-thatch, by decomposing thatch and other organic matter into valuable nutrients and humus, which in turn increase the water and nutrient holding capacity of the soil; aerate the soil; and control many lawn pests and disease problems by competition and predation. These are only five examples, derived from a far greater list. It is widely accepted by researchers that many of the benefits we get from soil life have yet to be discovered. Organic lawn fertilizers contain raw materials meant to stimulate and feed the life in the soil. The apparent low N-P-K analysis has relatively little meaning when you are feeding the soil because those numbers refer to plant nutrients not soil nutrients. Synthetic fertilizer ingredients contain very little that feed the life in the soil. The benefits of feeding the soil cannot be quantified or qualified on any fertilizer label. Fertilization It's a good idea to take some soil samples from your lawn and send them to a lab for analysis. If any one essential soil nutrient is deficient, you may not get the desired response from your fertilizer. Take several samples with a clean tool from the top 5-6 inches of the yard, remove any un-decomposed residues, and mix all the samples together in a clean container. Send about a cup of the mixture to your local soil lab (contact the extension service if your not sure where the lab is). The lab analysis should tell you if you'll need to apply one or more nutrients to balance your soil's base fertility. Ask the lab if they can test for organic matter, which is an important component of a healthy soil system. Quality turf growing on soils with less than 3 percent organic matter may be very difficult to maintain. You may want to consider applications of compost if your soil organic matter is low. If you do apply compost, the best time is in the early spring before the grass wakes up and in the late fall after the grass has gone to bed for the winter. Don't apply more than a 1/2 inch layer per application and make sure the compost is mature (little or no odor and/or heat). If the base fertility of a soil is balanced, organic lawn fertilizers should only be applied 2-3 times per year, depending on the length of your growing season and the condition of the soil. Generally, a natural fertilizer with an approximate ratio of 3-1-2 (nitrogen (N), phosphate (P), and potash (K)) is appropriate for turf. Strict adherence to that ratio is not critical, so anything close, such as 5-3-4, 7-3-4, or 5-2-4 will be fine. If, however, a test indicates that the soil has optimum or above optimum levels of P and K, then 1 lb. of N per 1000 sq. ft. from a natural organic source is all that needs to be applied. The best times of the year to apply fertilizer are early spring, late spring or early summer, and fall. (If you are applying fertilizer during a hot dry period, it's a good idea to water it in.) Usually an application of 1 lb. of N per 1000 sq. ft. is just right. To calculate how much fertilizer you'll need to apply exactly 1 lb. of N, divide 1 by the first number in the analysis and then multiply by 100. For example, if you are using a 5-3-4, divide 1 by 5 (=0.2) and then multiply by 100 (=20). Spreading 20 lbs. of a 5-3-4 fertilizer per 1000 sq. ft. will apply 1lb. of N. Mowing Mowing practices are as important as soil care in an organic turf program. Proper mowing is the single most effective way of controlling weeds without herbicides. Mower blades must be sharpened on a regular basis (every 7-8 hrs. of mowing time). Dull blades tear and stress the plant inhibiting its natural resistances and aggressive growth. The plant spends more energy recovering from being mowed and less on competing with weeds, insects and disease. Lawns should always be mowed high (3-4 inches) and often, never removing more than one third of the total height. Taller plants can photosynthesize energy more easily, shade out low growing weeds such as crabgrass, and develop deeper and more extensive root systems. Clippings should not be bagged. Recycled lawn clippings can add close to 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1000 sq. ft. per year and significant amounts of organic matter. Areas where large quantities of clippings threaten to smother the turf should either be chopped finely with a mower or gathered for compost and reapplied to the lawn when decomposed. Watering In most cases, leaving the responsibility of irrigation to mother nature is better than entrusting it to an automatic system, especially one activated by a timing device. Too much or too little water can stress turf plants and lower their resistance to other problems, such as insect or disease attacks. Over watering reduces the amount of oxygen in the soil, causing stress to roots and to microorganisms. Anaerobic soil conditions can also cause de-nitrification. Too little water can be even worse, causing severe stress to plants and soil organisms. Recent research suggests that low volume, high frequency irrigation is best for mitigating stress to turf; other experts disagree, opting for deep and infrequent watering. The trick is to avoid the extremes. Soils rich in organic matter can buffer turf from those extremes by absorbing more water during wet periods, building greater reserves for periods of drought. Weed Control A weed is a misplaced plant. Millions of dollars worth of so-called weeds are sold each year as ground covers, perennials, herbs and wild flowers. However, most homeowners don't appreciate having them in their lawns. Weeds are effectively controlled in an organic program in some of the following ways: Turf plants grown in healthy soil are very aggressive and can crowd out or smother most weeds when fed and mowed properly. Some university studies indicate that good mowing practices (mentioned above) can control certain weeds as well or better than herbicides. A diverse mixture of turf grasses is also important. A mono-culture of only one or two species of turf plants in a lawn is not natural and does not compete as well against weeds. If conditions arise that one or two cultivars cannot tolerate, weeds will then begin to dominate the area. Once weeds gain the upper hand, they become much more difficult to control. A genetically diverse turf is more able to survive, thrive and compete against weeds under any conditions. Where weeds are already well entrenched, corn gluten meal, a natural organic preemergent herbicide, can be used. Corn gluten breaks down into allelo-chemicals that inhibit root development on the germinating seeds of crabgrass, dandelion and many other common lawn weeds. New Installations Choice of seed is very important when renovating or installing a lawn. A genetically diverse seed blend will grow well in almost any conditions. Deep-rooted varieties are needed to locate water and nutrients easily. Blends that are endophytically enhanced (endophytically enhanced grasses contain natural endophyte fungi living symbiotically with the cells of the plant found to be insecticidal to foliar feeding insects) will repel foliar feeding insects. A soil test is always recommended before a new seeding or renovation of an old lawn that hasn't been tested in the past 3 years. Soil amendments such as lime, greensand, rock phosphate or compost may be needed, depending upon the outcome of the soil test. Under normal conditions, apply 1⁄2 pound of N and 1⁄2 to 1 pound of P and K per 1000 sq. ft. using a low nitrogen, natural starter fertilizer (we use a 2-3-3) and lightly work it into the surface of the soil before seeding. The fall is the best time of year to install new lawns from seed because there is less competition from weeds and more reliable rain. Aeration and De-Thatching With organic turf care practices, aeration and de-thatching can quickly become obsolete and unnecessary activities. The populations of microbes, earthworms, and other beneficial organisms that thrive in a healthy soil will decompose thatch and clippings faster than they can be produced. That digested organic matter plus the recycled bodies of the bacteria themselves create humus which expands and contracts within the soil by the varying levels of moisture content, creating air and water passages, relaxing soil compaction and improving the crumb structure of the soil. Earthworms that thrive on organic matter dig deep and extensive tunnels that air and water can travel through. Disease Control Many of these bacteria whose populations explode in healthy soil also compete antagonistically with pathogenic fungi. Studies noted in the Cornell University Turfgrass Times warn that soils with low organic matter content managed with high levels of pesticides are much more susceptible to devastating turf diseases. Organically maintained turf rarely if ever has problems with plant pathogens. When problems do arise, it is usually an indication that bacteria levels in the soil have dropped. This can be remedied by an application of compost and liquid seaweed extract. Insect Problems Plants that are grown in healthy soil are less susceptible to insect attack just by virtue of natural selection. Insects that cull out weaker plants are doing the plant species a favor by allowing only the strongest and healthiest to reproduce. However, when a whole lawn is planted in unhealthy and infertile soil, disaster can strike. A balanced soil ecosystem also contains many predator and parasitic organisms that can help with pest insect control. Other controls - such as good cultural practices and endophytically enhanced seed - will help tip the scale in the turf's favor. Grubs can be controlled in many circumstances by using beneficial nematodes. When applied to thoroughly moist soil beneficial nematodes can infect and kill most species of lawn grubs. Lawns with severe grub damage should be renovated with tall fescue, which has proven to be resistant to grub damage. A Final Note Organic lawn care is not a great mystery. It is a different system that requires observation and common sense. In an organic program, the soil life ends up doing most of the work. |
|
|
||
|
A division of Sparky Boy Enterprises Copyright © 2006. All rights reserved. info@organiclawncare101.com |
||