Organic lawn care
Organic lawn care is based on a program that seeks to avoid the use of chemicals on the soil and turf. The secret to a healthy organic lawn is soil that contains nutrients, bugs and micro organisms. The microbes in such soil feed on disease-causing organisms, therefore protecting the turf from diseases. To introduce the beneficial microbes into the soil, the homeowner should use compost often. There are two stages of organic turf care when this can be done. First, the homeowner should spread compost in the soil during preparation; secondly, the compost can be used to top-dress the turf. The top-dress application should then be brushed carefully off the lawn and watered in order to wash it to the root zone.
Organic lawn care also involves buying organic fertilizers sold in specific organic retail stores. The commercial organic fertilizers are based on proteins, which the lawn digests first in order to access the nitrogen content in the same. Unlike chemical-based fertilizers, the organic fertilizers can be applied any time, season or day without fearing that one will hurt the turf. It however takes a minimum of three weeks before the homeowner starts seeing the benefits of the fertilizer on the lawn.
Organic lawn care suppresses disease, prevents the loss of nutrients, aids in the production of turf growth regulators, aids in developing soil structure and even cleans up chemical residues from chemical fertilizer use. In addition, this type of lawn care controls nitrogen supply to the lawn depending with the turf’s need for the same. The organic fertilizers also shift the pH of the soil towards neutral. The home owner should however avoid the direct use of fresh manure on the turf. This should be substituted with compost.
Commencing the organic lawn care is simply done through stopping the use of chemical-based fertilizers and substituting them with compost. During spring, the homeowner should apply a protein-based organic fertilizer before the turf starts turning lush. In fall, the same should be applied at least three weeks before the turf stops growing. In summer however, the homeowner should not use any organic fertilizers on the lawn. He or she should however ensure that the lawn is watered regularly.
With organic lawn care, one does not need to use chemical aeration because the soil microbes contained in the compost usually aerate the soil. These microbes help in maintaining a natural till, which means that the soil is softer and able to retain water better. Organic lawn care is made much easier because the home owner does not need to worry about thatch control. The microbes contained in the soil eat thatch into mulch, which is converted to beneficial compost for use in the lawn.
Controlling disease organic lawn care practices requires one to find the specific organic solution for each disease. For fungal infestations, the homeowner should find the beneficial fungus to counter the pathogenic fungus. Beetles can be controlled by spraying nematodes on the lawn, while the loss of color on some lawn patches can be rectified by using more nitrogen-rich organic fertilizers.
Weed control in organic lawn care is done by allowing the lawn to grow to a long-enough height to create maximum density. The weeds that sprout on the lawn can be hand-picked or mowed off. Overall, organic care needs the home owner to know the different organic substitutes available for chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pest control measures. In the long run, an organic program is worth so much more, especially because it controls environmental pollution.