The Natural Way to a Good Lawn?

Answer 1

Millions of dollars are spent every year on chemicals promising to provide a lush green lawn, but just how green those chemicals are is questionable. With the tonnage of liquids and granules applied to lawns every year there is a valid concern about the amount of added chemicals that are getting into our water supply. There are some more natural methods to have a lush green lawn that doesn’t require the use of dangerous chemicals.

Simply raising the lawnmower’s deck to cut the grass a little higher can provide a way of allowing the desired lawn grasses the ability to choke out smaller weeds. Consider the lawn from Mother Nature’s perspective. Birds fly over the lawn every day, and rabbits wander about looking for something good to eat. Both deposit weed seeds from their fecal matter so it is impossible to perpetually keep a weed free lawn. Instead, try to minimize the chances that weeds can grow with proper watering and a bit of yearly reseeding of turf grasses.

Look in the lawn & garden and outdoor store weekly ads to find specials on grass seeds. If kept in a cool dark place and in a closed container, the grass seeds will survive to germinate even next year. Reseeding parts of the lawn in the spring and fall can be cheaper than multiple applications of chemicals with no negative impact on the environment. Watering the lawn regularly is another chemical free way to maintain a healthy looking lawn. Just one deep watering per week can make a significant difference.

If bugs are a problem, an old trick of using a hose end sprayer filled with a mixture of a bit of dishwashing detergent and steeped tobacco juice from a pack of chewing tobacco goes back to the homemade lawn tonics introduced by garden expert Jerry Baker. It is still effective today in controlling many lawn pests without making the lawn toxic to most other animals. However, even with these types of homemade recipes it is not anything that needs to be done if the lawn is not showing any symptoms. Usually watering and a bit of reseeding along with cutting the lawn just a bit higher will do the trick.