Part 2: Avoiding Lawn Care Poisoning

Volume 4 Issue 42

May 2005

We have already established that the pesticides and other chemicals you or your lawn care service may be using on your lawn to make it green and pest and weed free may be making you, your family, your neighbors and even the environment sick.

Now, you have to make a decision. Which is more important to you? Do you follow the “golf-course syndrome” which causes you to have unrealistic ideals of a 100 percent weed-free lawn?

Or, can you accept occasional weeds as a sign of a normal, non-toxic lawn recognizing that quick-fix chemical solutions carry a much-too-heavy health and environmental price?

Any loving parent wants his family as safe as they can be. Any responsible adult does not want to hurt his friends, neighbors and the environment. But most homeowners also want a good looking lawn. Actually, you can have it all. Here is how.

If you only do one thing from this article to safely care for your lawn, let this be it !

A lawn mowed high discourages weed and insect invasion so set the cutting height of your mower at 2.5 or three inches. Never scalp your lawn. Long grass blades stay much stronger, prevent weeds from sprouting, shade the roots and prevent drying of soil, and encourage longer, healthier roots. Mow regularly, never removing more than one-third of the leaf length at a time. Keep cutting blades sharp. This avoids tearing grass and making it susceptible to disease. Don't mow wet grass, and mow in the evening or on cloudy days.

Here is what else you need to do to care for your lawn safely. Leave clippings on the lawn as mulch. This reduces the need for organic fertilizer by 30 percent. In wet periods, or if grass was very long, compost clippings instead.

Lawns need about one inch of water once a week, applied slowly during dry spells, preferably before 8 AM. Put a can under the sprinkler and time how long it takes for an inch to accumulate. That's how long to allow before moving the sprinkler each time. Frequent, light sprinklings waste water and encourage shallow roots.

Keep insects and weeds under control without harmful chemicals. A healthy, well-cared for lawn out competes most weeds.  Check often for stressed areas like bare spots which invite weed invasion) and treat promptly by eliminating the cause such as heavy traffic.

Over seeding, when necessary, gives excellent results when combined with aeration and top-dressing. Stressed areas and bare patches invite weed invasion. Loosen soil, spread compost or peat moss, sprinkle grass seeds of a hardy species, press in and water.  Remove occasional weeds by hand. For persistent weed problems, get your soil professionally analyzed: ideal soil pH is six to seven.  Add lime or sulfur to modify pH. This increases availability of plant nutrients and promotes beneficial micro-organisms. Dishwasher soap and water sprayed in warm weather is effective against most insect pests.

Use a rake to gently remove thatch which is compacted layer of clippings and dead grass which prevents water from percolating to the roots. Do this in late spring or early summer but don't act too soon after the thaw when the grass still feels spongy, or else the roots will be damaged or wait so late that heavy seeder weeds have germinated.

Many lawn owners do not find spring fertilization needed but you should fertilize in the fall.  Use one of the slow release organic fertilizers which include compost, manure, processed sewage, top dressing, rock mineral fertilizer, bone meal, blood meal and kelp. Don't use highly-soluble chemical fertilizers which leach natural soil nutrients, stress the soil and grass, and may induce disease outbreaks.

Aerate your lawn in June (or the fall) to avoid times when heavy seeder weeds germinate and may grow in the plug holes. Aeration is the process of removing small plugs of earth to decrease soil compaction, increase water retention capacities, and increase air circulation to roots. You can rent an aerator from a nursery or tool rental store.

Yes, using safe methods to keep your lawn looking good takes more work than using the chemicals or hiring a lawn service which uses chemicals that can harm your and your family but is your family’s and neighbors’ safety and the well being of the environment not worth a little extra work?

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