Today we all need to consider environment friendly choices and with regards to lawn care, natural lawn care is the best option. Not only does natural lawn care help the environment you are also likely to end up with a better looking lawn. In order to care for your lawn naturally you will need to understand some of the basics laid out below. 

Natural lawn care is exactly that - NO CHEMICALS.  Nearly all lawn fertilizers are chemical or synthetic rather than organic or natural but, if you look carefully, online or offline, you will find a growing choice of natural organic products for the lawn and garden.

Another great idea is to aviod gas lawn mowers and electric lawn mowers and opt for one of the good old fashioned man powered lawn mowers (the ones that leave the lovely stripes!). With a little thought there are many ways in which you can care for your lawn and garden without harming the environment or adding to your carbon footprint.

Soil Ph

The fundamentals of lawn care are basically the same when caring for your lawn the natural way. For starters you will need to take a measurement of the pH factor of your soil which should be in the range of between 6.5 to 7.0 (only slightly acidic). This ph range is perfect for the grass to grow at its’ best leading to a lush green lawn.

Today it is relatively easy to buy a soil ph testing kit which is easy to use. It is well worth the extra effort required because ph problems can seriously damage your lawn. If your lawn is far too acidic or not sufficiently acidic then this will manifest in a poor quality lawn with weak grass and poor growth.

Soil Type & Condition

Once you have checked the soil ph and rectified its levels of acidity with organic products then you will need to assess the soil type and condition. A good lawn growns on good soil and this means no extremes!

Soil that is too sandy will leach nutrients and water and be prone to drought damage. Sandy soil is generally improved with the addition of humus content such as peat or compost. In the case of a lawn this can be lightly dusted on the surface and the effects of rain and the wonderful action of worms will ensure that it is mixed in with the sand below. Repeat this as often as required.

If your soil has a high clay content then it will be rather sticky and easily compacted. Soil that becomes compacted makes it difficult for worms but also restricts the flow of air and nutrients which, in turn, leads to poor quality roots on your grass and, ultimately a sickly looking lawn. Firstly you will need to aerate your lawn, this can be done with a garden fork or, if you are unsure, you can hire professional gardening equipment to perform the task or even hire a professional landscape gardener. You can also dust the surface of your lawn with sand or insert sand into the aeration holes and, again, worms and weather should do the rest.

Watering Your Lawn

Most of us are aware how important water is to the lawn and garden. It is not good enough just to water a lawn every now and again and hope for the best, especially if you live in a dry area. Water is required to ensure good root growth and you should never allow the roots to dry out . Also you should not water your lawn too often, not only is this bad with regards to water conservation but it can also flood the lawn and drown the roots. Without a good root system your lawn will not grow very well at all but a root system that is deep and healthy will create a lovely looking lawn that will be more able to withstand drought.

One way in which we can help the environment when watering our lawns is not to use tap water. Rainwater is always the best for a lawn so why not collect it? There is a large choice of suitable water containers, available online and offline, which can be used to collect water from the roof of our house or garage.

Another way to conserve water is to avoid using hoses or sprinkler systems (lots of water simply evaporates into the atmosphere when using these). Far better are the clever systems available today which slowly release the water into the soil constantly. Although these kits can sometimes prove expensive the results are spectacular and, of course, they are hands free! Or you can opt for the good old watering can.

Finally

A good quality lawn enhances any garden and, by following the hints and tips above, you can be sure your lawn with look at its best. Now all you need to do is sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 17th, 2008 at 5:39 pm and is filed under Lawn Care. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.