Organic Lawn Care

The “normal,” chemical-intensive form of lawn care is polluting our waterways and air, sucking our aquifers and lakes dry, and poisoning us. It is time to switch to a more natural way of keeping your grass green. Organic lawn care does not have to be more demanding than the “normal” way. A healthy, organically-treated lawn will suffer fewer (if any) disease and pest infestations; require less water; and is safe for your kids to play on.

Here are 10 steps to go organic with your lawn:

1. Go organic right away – there is no need for a transition period when switching to organic
2. Test your soil (and amend if necessary)
3. Top dress your lawn with compost and rock powder 
4. Overseed in spring or fall
5. Mow higher with an electric mulching mower (or a reel mower – and leave the cuttings on the lawn) – taller grass will shade out weeds and the cuttings will decompose and add organic matter to the soil
6. Add white clover to your lawn – your lawn should contain 5% clover, clover is a nitrogen fixer (takes nitrogen from the air and places it into the soil)
7. Apply corn gluten in spring, just before the dogwoods and forsythias bloom
8. Apply organic fertilizer in early summer and autumn
9. Water your lawn as infrequently as possible (but as deeply as possible – avoiding runoff) 
10. Cleanup your lawn before winter – rake up leaves and other debris 

SafeLawns.org 
Photo credit: Simona Balint