Organic Lawn Care

Organic lawns often take much more time and effort than a conventional lawn, and can be more costly too, but the extra effort put into a lawn can really pay off and provide a nice, carpet-like lawn that is safe for people and the environment.

An organic lawn can be started by first improving the soil for the grass. The quality of the soil can be very important, as this is where the grass gets its nutrients, and poor soil can make it hard for grass to take root and grow to its potential. Not to mention that one quality of weeds is that they are very good at thriving in poor conditions, making it easy for them to outgrow grass in poor soil. A good first step is to get the soil tested, to see what nutrients it has and what it may be missing. Here are a few ways to improve the soil: 

• Dethatching – Cutting through dead grass and removing debris that might get in the way of new grass trying to take root 
• Soil Amendments – Adding things like compost and corn gluten can increase lawn health and provide extra nutrients 
• Slit-Seeding – This process creates holes to put the seeds directly into the ground, helping them grow faster 
• Over-seeding – Spreading seeds over already existing grass can help thicken the grass and overcrowd weeds 
• Lawn Aeration – Creating small holes in the dirt can let air, water, and nutrients get to the roots much easier

Weeds are often unwanted, but they can be a good indicator to what may be wrong with the lawn. Certain weeds like to grow in certain locations, so you can know what kind of conditions are near the weeds. Crabgrass, for example, tends to grow in high traffic areas, where the soil is compact. A solution can be to loosen up the soil through aeration. 

Some plants that are considered to be weeds can actually be beneficial to the lawn. Clover can help break down nitrogen to make it easier for the grass to get nutrients from it, and it is recommend planting clover along with the grass to keep it healthy.

Once an organic lawn has been started, there are still things that need to be done to keep the grass happy and healthy. Here are some tips to keep the lawn going after it has been started:

• When cutting grass, leave the clippings where they fall, as they are a natural source of nitrogen when they decompose. 

• Water the grass infrequently and in large amounts to encourage the grass to grow deeper roots, which can help the grass withstand drought and have a better chance at outgrowing weeds.
• Spread compost or other fertilizer one or two times a year to help grass grow. 
• Using organic corn gluten (not during grass seed germination) can help stop weed seeds from growing, as the corn gluten prevents seeds from germinating. This reduces germination for about one month. Timing is key for application, for example, with dandelion seeds, after they are dry and dispersing is a good time to apply corn gluten. This method will help reduce the seed bank of weed seed in the lawn.
• When cutting grass, keep it at 3 to 4 inches, as cutting grass too short can weaken it and make it hard for the plant to photosynthesize. This also reduces the amount of water the grass will need as it keeps the soil in deeper shade. 
• Grow a variety of grass types, as this prevents the grass from going dormant at the same time, and the grass types can work together to overcrowd weeds.
• When watering grass with a sprinkler, place a cup or rain gauge nearby to collect water and measure how much water the plants are getting.

There are many tools used to maintain an organic lawn, but here are a few recommended tools and other materials to get started with: