How does one go about achieving a greener and healthier lawn through NATURAL LAWN CARE? Natural lawn care is more important today than ever. As citizens wish to maintain a beautiful, green and lush lawn; pesticides are on the rise, millions of tons of fertilizers are being used annually, power mowers are emitting more hydrocarbons in the air than a standard automobile, weed eaters and leaf blowers are even worse as they emit up to 34 more times the hydrocarbons, and unfortunatley -- pesticide use is killing innumerable amounts of earthworms that are vital for healthy soil.
So how do you create a beautiful yard through natural lawn care? Natural lawn care begins by testing the soil's pH. (A soil's pH level should be between 6.5 and 7.0) Healthy lawns flourish in soils that are mixed with clay, silt and sand. Natural lawn care is then addressed by carefully aerating the soil by walking across your lawn with cleat shoes, or simply pulling finger-sized plugs from your lawn. Organic clippins such as grass and compost are excellent fertilizers that provide essential nutrients to your lawn or garden. Asking your local gardener or nursery which grass grows best in your area is the next step in providing natural lawn care. Watering lawn in early morning is elemental to natural lawn care as grass roots tend to maintain water better throughout the day. Natural lawn care also means using reel mowers that not only cut grass, but give pollution-free lawn care as well as a light exercise to the user. Observing weeds is another way to develop natural lawn care. If you begin seeing dandelions in your yard, then it is time to add sulfur to lower your soils pH. If you see clover and medic start sprouting up, then your lawn needs compost or a nitrogen-weighted fertilizer. Another form of natural lawn care is using "milky spores." Milky spores are a natural remedy for lawn grubs that, in one treatment, can be effective up to 40 years! And finally, to truly maintain natural lawn care, try raking leaves and grass by hand. Not only a great exercise, but these remnants make for superb mulch in flower and garden beds and can be added to a compost pile for future use. [Compost piles are created from: fruit and vegetable scraps, meal leftovers (no meat products), tea bags, coffee grounds and filters, egg shells, leaves and grass clippings, straw and twigs, seaweed, cow manure, and garden cuttings and old plants.]
If you have some tips you'd like to offer on natural lawn care, please feel free to submit your suggestions to our "articles" category at Holistic Junction today!
Lawn Care, Natural