ORGANIC LAWN CARE

-ALERT: If you are not currently using organic products exclusively in your yard:

-Watch what you put or your lawn company puts on the lawn. What you put on your lawn comes into your house on your shoes, into your bed by your pets and it does not breakdown like it does outside. It can remain in your carpet for extended periods of time, even with regular cleaning.

-READ LABELS- some say you have to wash your clothes right after use.

    To Practice Organic Lawn Care:

1.  Feed the soil:

• Rake an inch or so of compost into your lawn each spring and fall. You may want to add microbes and earthworms.

2.  Feed the grass:

• Leave grass clippings on the lawn. They provide nitrogen, reducing required fertilizer by ½.
• Chooses a low nitrogen organic fertilizer with ration of 3 nitrogen 1 phosphorus 2 potassium.
• Mow high: cut grass at 3-4 inches. Allowing it to shade its roots, conserves moisture and keeps out weeds. Keep blade sharp, rotate pattern of mowing
• Water less, but longer: once a week watering in the early morning or evening for several hours is the best method. Take into account rainfall and type of soil.
• The grass ONLY needs 1 inch of water per week: put out a tuna can to see if Nature took care of your watering chore.
• Control those weeds: dig out the dandelions. Use organic corn-gluten products that prevent weeds from germinating. For spot control use vinegar (not on grass).
• Control pests without chemicals: Common pest (grubs, sod webworms) can be controlled with applications of beneficial nematodes. Milky spore powder is another effective control for Japanese beetle grubs, when used at the proper time.
• Fungal disease can be successfully treated with several light applications of compost or liquid compost tea.
• For more info, go to http://www.livinglawn.org/organiclawncare4.html

    Pesticides: What you need to know

• ALL pesticides are associated with SOME risk to human health and the environment. It is illegal to claim that a pesticide is safe.
• Scientific findings link exposure to common lawn care pesticides with an increased risk of cancer.
• Lawn care pesticides present special risks for children who spend much of their time playing outdoors.
• Many lawn care pesticides are classified as endocrine disruptors which can cause irreversible damage to endocrine and reproductive systems in both males and females.
• Regular pesticide use kills microorganisms in soil and weakens plants, harming and killing beneficial insects, fish, birds and even family pets.
• Many lawn car pesticides remain toxic long after the 24 hour ‘stay off’ time.
• Pesticide runoff pollutes ground and surface water which threatens the safety of our drinking water.