Want a safe, organic lawn? It’s easy! And Mom Nature will help!

BDN - grassWe are an all organic town here in Ogunquit, and it sounds just plain weird to be talking about an ‘organic lawn.’ Growing up in the country, probably everyone had an ‘organic lawn.’

What made the lawns organic?

Growing up, we never dumped bags of chemical fertilizers on lawns.  Our lawns were thick and that deep green that screams, ‘HEALTHY!’, and they took a lot of beating, since they were for play, not looks.

Bare spots? Grubs? Our lawn was too thick for bare spots and grubs.

 

Now here in our little town, we have many making the shaky transition from a chemical lawn that saw pounds and pounds of chemical fertilizers and pesticides dumped over the years to one where legally you’re only supposed to use organic materials if you are going to use anything.

Why shaky? Because all those chemicals, while they might have made your lawn look good, created shallow roots, and with those shallow roots, you would have a lot of grub damage, and that just means more chemical poisons.

If you want a lawn with no chemical additives, here’s what you can do right now.

 

  1. You might want to test your lawn soil using one of those soil testers you can buy at your local hardware store – it’s easy and if you’re in the mood, fun. You’re testing for PH – measuring your soil’s acidity. You want it between 6.2 and 6.8. Too low?  Add lime or calcium fertilizers.  Too high?  Add elemental sulphur.  The hardware folks will help you out if you’re puzzled.
  2. Bare spots? Add grass seed! The thicker your lawn, the fewer weeds and less crabgrass.  Check to make sure you’re getting grass seed for sun or shade, depending where you’re seeding.

 

  1. BDN - compostAdd some compost. Just put your compost – you can buy it if you have none around – in small piles on your lawn and rake it right in.

It may be a little early to mow, though the lawn care companies are already out around here, but if you’re mowing, set your mower high so you’re leaving your grass about 3” high. Too short? You’re going to inviting all kinds of problems.

That’s it for right now. You’re on the way to a safe lawn for your kids, you and your pets.

 

 

Bill Baker

About Bill Baker

Bill's interest in a clean place to live is rooted in growing up in the country – a cornfield across the road and fields, sandstone cliffs and hundreds of acres of woods where he spent many hours.