Lawn Care

Soil Care

In the spring and early fall it is important to take a few easy steps to take care of the soil underneath the lawn. First, soil can get compacted so that the root system of the grass is also too tightly compacted. The way to solve this is to pull plugs out of the grass in order to increase aeration. There are machines that a person can rent in order to aerate the lawn. There are also some lawn care companies that will come out twice a year in order to aerate the lawn. Either way, the plugs should be left on the lawn so that they can decompose and add nutrients to the lawn, helping it to grow.

Another key lawn care tip for the spring and early fall is to check the soil's properties to see what nutrients it may be lacking. There are simple soil testing kits that can be bought at garden supply stores that will tell what specific nutrients the soil is missing. Once the test is done, the specific fertilizer should be bought that fits the deficiencies. When the fertilizer is placed on the lawn, sometimes some will fall on the sidewalk and driveway. This should be swept back onto the lawn so that it does not get wasted and run into the sewer with the rainfall.

Pests

There are some pests that need to be taken care of in lawn care such as grubs. In the spring, a section of grass should be pulled up to check if there are grubs in the root system. If there are, one solution to this is to buy nemotodes from a garden supply store or catalogue. Nemotodes are microscopic worms that will kill the grub larvae so that the grubs never are able to affect the roots.

In order to kill other pests, shrubs and trees should be planted around the yard to attract birds that will eat these insects. In addition, ladybugs and green lacewings can be bought from garden supply stores which will also help to fight destructive insects from destroying the lawn.

Organic lawn care can be achieved with the help of some simple organic lawn care products that can be bought from many garden supply stores or catalogues. The purpose or organic lawn care is to create a healthy lawn without the use of chemicals that can be harmful to humans or animals. It only makes sense that when a chemical product is used in which the lawn has to be kept off limits for twenty-four hours is not environmentally friendly, being laden with dangerous chemicals.

Using Nature to Its Fullest

A great starting place in organic lawn care is to use the animals and insects already available to help to keep the lawn healthy. If the lawn is surrounded by bushes and trees, then birds are more likely to nest in them and eat insects that can harm a lawn. Planting more bushes and trees around the lawn attracts more wildlife which will keep down the insect population.

In addition, there are many helpful insects that can be added to the garden and help to eliminate the harmful ones. Ladybugs and green lacewings can be bought in garden supply stores that focus on organic lawn care. There are also nemotodes, which are microscopic worms that eat grub larvae so that they do not grow into grubs and damage the roots of the grass. These too can be bought at garden supply stores and catalogues.

Organic lawn care also includes how to cut the grass. The only times the grass should be cut to a two inch level is the first cut of the year in the spring and the last cut of the year in the fall. Both of these shorter cuts help to reduce the chance of fungus that will damage the grass by cutting off the tops where it could grow. The rest of the year the grass should be cut at a three or three and a half inch mark since a longer grass has a stronger root system and it also help to shade out weeds which require more sunlight to sprout.

Another organic lawn care tip is to make sure the blades of the lawnmower are sharp so that the cuts are clean rather than ragged. Ragged cuts allow different fungi and diseases to affect the lawn. Cutting the lawn when wet also increases the chances of a ragged cut, so cutting the lawn should always be done when the lawn is dry.

Many people today are changing over from traditional lawn care programs to organic lawn care programs, being frightened by the use of harmful chemicals that are in traditional fertilizing and pesticide systems. Organic lawn care tips show how to provide organic lawn care programs either by their own efforts, or by hiring an organic lawn care company to take care of their lawns for them. Either way, these organic lawn care programs do not require much change from traditional methods, are healthier for the environment and the long term health of the lawn and soil, and produce lovely results.

Blades and Soil

Organic lawn care programs focus on two times of year that are most important for creating a healthy lawn. In the spring and early fall the lawn must be cut to a lower level than during the rest of the summer when it is kept at between three to three and a half inches long to help reduce weed growth and produce stronger roots. In the spring and early fall, the lawn should be cut to two inches high so that, in the winter, fungus is less likely to grow on the shorter blades, and in the spring, the tops of the blades are removed to cut off any fungus that might have grown over the winter.

In addition, organic lawn care programs emphasize checking the health of the soil through the use of soil testing kits bought from garden supply stores in the spring or early fall. These kits tell what nutrients are missing from the soil so that the individual can buy the appropriate, non-synthetic, slow-releasing fertilizer to add those nutrients back into the soil. Doing this in the spring sets the lawn up with the nutrients it needs to grow all summer long. Doing it in the early fall allows the roots to be nourished and grow stronger during the winter months so that the growth is even thicker in the spring.

Organic lawn care programs also recommend that a mulching lawn mower be used which chops up the lawn clippings into finer pieces before throwing them out onto the lawn. This allows the grass clippings to be more effectively used as mulch, which provides a constant supply of nutrients to the soil, ensuring a lush lawn. In addition, the blades on the mower should be kept sharp and the lawn should never be mowed when wet so that the grass always has a clean cut rather than ragged. Ragged cuts allow fungus and disease to more easily grow in the blades which can damage the lawn.

Lawn care businesses have been around for a long time using traditional methods of taking care of lawns which normally includes the use of chemicals in the fertilizers and pesticides that are harmful to the environment. Because of this, there are many people who are turning to organic lawn care, which is a method of lawn care in which all natural methods are used to take care of the lawn. Organic lawn care tips can be found in gardening magazines, manuals, as well as websites and nurseries. By using a few simple methods a beautiful lawn can be maintained and the individual can feel confident that his pets and children are safe playing on it to their hearts' content.

Healthy Soil and Blades

Organic lawn care tips point first to keeping the soil healthy, since this is the foundation that the lawn grows on. If the soil does not have the appropriate nutrients in it, then the lawn ends up with stunted growth, brown blades or bare patches in it. Organic lawn care tips advise to check the makeup of the soil twice per year: once in the spring and once in the early fall. Checking in the spring ensures that the correct fertilizer is used to add whatever nutrients are needed for the lawn to grow successfully all summer long. Checking in the early fall allows the root system to get all the nutrients it needs during the winter months so that the lawn is even healthier the following spring. The fertilizers should be a non-synthetic, or all natural, fertilizer that is slow releasing which is better for the grass and soil.

Another organic lawn care tip is to always set the height of the lawn mower at three or three and a half inches so that the grass stays longer, thus blocking out the sun that the weeds need to sprout. It also allows the root system to be stronger, which ensures a healthier lawn. The only exceptions to this height rule are the first cut of the year in the spring and the last cut of the year in the fall. These cuts are important because they remove the fungus that may have built up on the blades over the winter, and also help to ensure the fungus will not grow up since the blades are shorter in the fall.

Weeds are always an issue in any lawn which the longer blades help to address. However, there will still be weeds that will grow up even with a longer lawn. There are a couple of ways to handle this according to organic lawn care tips. One way is to pull up the weeds by hand, which allows much of the root system to also be removed, rather than mowing off the tops of the weeds. Using water to loosen the roots is also a good idea since it makes them easier to pull. For nastier weeds, ones that are very difficult to pull up, a solution of half vinegar and half water can be sprayed on the weeds. This will kill them so that the entire weed can be removed, down to the roots.