Organic Lawn Care FAQ
I’ve received more emails from my two articles on organic lawn care than I’ve had from any other topic. Perhaps others may find some benefit from selected Q and A’s.
How do I start with an organic program?
Getting started is as easy as doing nothing: just stop using chemicals. And you save money to boot! Since maintaining an organic lawn is all about the soil feeding the grass you need to feed the soil. There are two key components in doing this; first replenish the microbes with a thin layer of compost and 2.) Use protein-based fertilizers like corn meal, alfalfa meal, coffee grounds, soy meal, cottonseed meal, sorghum meal, or a prepared organic lawn fertilizer.
I hear that organic gardening is more expensive. How much does it cost?
Following a full organic program should cost less than a chemical program. The first application of compost can be expensive, but it is important to look at the big picture. Protein fertilizer costs about the same per square foot as chemical fertilizer. The reason the organic program is less expensive is the fact that you won’t need expensive herbicides, pesticides, or fungicides.
How Do I Apply Compost To My Lawn?
This is the most expensive treatment, and it’s most important at the beginning. Spread it around in piles on the lawn using a wheelbarrow. Sling it from the piles onto the grass with a shovel. Then use a push broom to sweep it off the grass blades and down into the turf. Water it in to activate the compost microbes and wash them onto your soil. Apply compost to grass at a rate of no more than 1 cubic yard per 1,000 square feet. This results in a thin layer about 1/3 inch deep when spread out uniformly
I’ve used compost every year for years but my neighbor’s lawn is always greener. What’s wrong? Compost is not a very good fertilizer. Compost is a soil amendment used primarily to bring beneficial soil microbes to your soil. If you want a thick, green turf grass, you need to add protein to feed the soil microbes. The microbes, in turn, will feed the grass.
How often should I use compost on grass?
Many people use compost every year. A highly respected compost manufacturer has only applied it to his own grass twice in 30 years. The answer probably lies somewhere in between. If you have had a flood or a turf disease, you should reapply.
How do I control weeds?
Mow as high as your grass will allow you at maximum density to shade out weeds and weed seeds. Water deeply and infrequently to encourage deeper rooted grasses. Mow weeds off or hand pick. Never let weeds go to seed. For spot treatment or for small areas of pure weeds, many people have reported great success with 20% vinegar sprayed as a foliar spray, not a soil drench (full disclosure: I’ve yet to try this).
How do I get rid of thatch?
Thatch is not a problem in organic lawns. Beneficial soil microbes eat thatch. There is no need to collect grass clippings with the lawn mower and fall leaves can be mulched right back into the turf.
How should I water?
Watering should be done in the mornings. Deep but infrequent watering encourages roots to penetrate deeper into the soil. Watering in the evening encourages pathogenic fungus disease so try not to let the grass blades have water on them after dark. Water for one to two hours at a time when you do water.
What is wrong with chemical fertilizers?
Chemical fertilizers provide an "empty" type of food directly to the plants. This is like the empty calories we get from eating pure refined sugar. Microbes provide full service to the plants. They decompose dead plant and animal residues to humus; combine nitrogen and carbon to prevent nutrient loss; suppress disease; produce plant growth regulators; develop soil structure, tilth, and water penetration/retention; clean up chemical residues; shift soil pH toward neutral; retrieve nutrients from distant parts of the soil; decompose thatch; and control nitrogen supply to the plants according to need. Besides that, if a chemical fertilizer contains NPK of 10-10-10, nobody knows what the 70% of unlisted stuff is in the chemical bag that is not fertilizer.
How do I control ticks? For me, this is the hardest issue concerning organic land care. This is because spraying insecticide across the whole property is quite effective at killing ticks; I mean you’re broadcasting poison across your little piece of the planet. How can non-poisons compete with that?
What the professionals talk about are actions that make it inhospitable for ticks, such as: Keep ticks from invading your lawn by creating a border zone of gravel or wood chips, 3 feet wide and 3 inches deep, and if you have any kind of children's play structure, a wood pile or an ornamental garden, surround these with a wood-chip or gravel barrier, and make sure that swing sets and playhouses are located in dry, sunny areas. And finally they say to keep your grass trimmed, especially at the edges of your property.
