Feb 26 2007
The Benefits of Natural Lawn Care
Natural lawn care involves using natural and organic resources to handle and meet your lawn’s basic needs. This includes using resources for fertilization, reducing the risk of disease, decreasing weeds, and controlling and eliminating pests from the area. Though the use of chemicals may sometimes be required for your yard, they do propose an environmental risk. It is because of the effects of these chemicals on the environment, that many people prefer to use natural lawn care.
Some of the basics involve finding natural and organic means to stimulate the growth of your lawn and reduce weeds. Most people think of chemical fertilizers when they consider promoting the growth of their lawn, however there are other effective and suitable ways to stimulate and nurture your lawn’s growth period without using chemicals. The first step to ensuring the best natural lawn care is to begin by testing your soil. There are many PH soil-testing kits available and once you test your soil, you can then take steps to adjust its PH balance to best support your lawn. Again, there are many natural remedies available that will help you adjust the PH balance of your soil, thereby reducing the need for chemical solutions.
Another important step in natural lawn care is to choose a grass that is indigenous to your area. If you choose a grass that prefers a different climate, you will be setting yourself up for a lot of maintenance in the future. Local grasses will have stronger defenses towards local pests and diseases as well.
Some of the things that you can do to maintain a natural lawn and minimize weeds include over-seeding your lawn. Over-seeding is the process of planting more grass seeds then required. This overcrowds the grass, minimizing the room for weeds to grow. It is a very effective method used to prevent weeds without the use of dangerous or toxic chemicals.
The next important step involves how you mow or cut your lawn. It is important to understand that you should never cut more than one third of the blades height during one mowing. Removing anymore than this in one session can cause the grass to go into stress. Another important aspect is that you should leave your grass high. In fact, some grass species will thrive best when they are between 2-3 inches in height. This is because the tall grass will absorb more sunshine. In return, the process of Photosynthesis is enabled and increased levels of sugar and starch will reach the root system. As the root system is nourished, the infrastructure of your lawn is strengthened and your lawn will be more resilient to disease. Another simple step that you can take to maintain the beauty of your yard is to leave the clippings when you mow. They will naturally mulch over and increase the nutrient content of your yard. You can increase these benefits by introducing earthworms to your yard as well. By taking these simple measures and instituting these natural lawn caretechniques, you will be rewarded with a richly lush and beautiful natural and organic lawn.