Great Organic Lawn Care

You have learned about the connections between toxic chemicals in many lawn care products and the damaging effects on the health of humans and animals, not to mention the earth itself, and have chosen to try organic options, instead? Congratulations! This is an exciting step, however, your head is reeling slightly as you start to research your subject and realize there is a ton of information out there on organics! Does this sound like you? If so, keep reading for a few helpful suggestions on proven organic lawn care.

The good news is that organic lawn care does not need to be an expensive endeavor if you consistently follow a few guidelines to keep your lawn healthy. If you mow regularly - keeping your grass at the optimal height recommended by your local cooperative extension office, mulch each time you mow (simply by leaving the grass clippings as a natural fertilizer), and don't over water (make sure your lawn gets about an inch of water a week, including rain); your lawn should be healthy and happy! Mulching is a great example of the cost-effectiveness of organic lawn maintenance. There are various kinds of mowers with special mulching abilities, but the motorless push lawn mower is most friendly to the environment, since it does not pollute the air. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has further details for maintaining an organic lawn, including a seasonal calendar, in the Greenscapes for Homeowners section of their website (http://www.epa.gov).

Additional common lawn care issues include weeds and bare or thin patches of grass. Organically speaking, if a weed (such as clover) does not have noxious
effects on grass and other aspects of the environment, you may want to choose to simply mow it with the grass, or pluck it out manually. If you truly feel a
pesticide is needed, an organic option is corn gluten meal product, usually available at the local gardening store. If your local store does not carry it,
visit the following website for further details on where to locate corn gluten meal: http://www.environmentalfactor .com/. Keep in mind that manual removal of existing weeds is essential before application of the corn gluten meal because it is a preventative measure. As for bare or thin patches, simply aerate and overseed those areas each fall.

If your lawn looks like it needs extra help, it is best to contact your local cooperative extension for a soil test. If the soil test reveals that

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