Caring for Your Lawn - the Natural Way

Spring is a good time to think about the environment and what we can do right in our own backyards to make it a little better. Briggs & Stratton encourages all homeowners to Strive for Five - find at least five ways inside and outside your home that you can help the Earth. Let's look at what we can do in our yards.

"Seedlings" (Tips for Beginners)

Interested in employing organic lawn care practices, but without a lot of effort? Chances are, you might already be doing it. Lawn care revolves around five cultural practices: mowing, irrigation, cultivation, fertilizing and pest management. The first three (mowing, irrigation and cultivation) do not require lawn products or chemicals, but performing these operations correctly can help control pests (weeds, insects and diseases). So, the most basic organic approach is to perform these practices properly and regularly.

Your Lawn Mower - First, be sure your lawn mower is operating efficiently. If you tune-up your lawn mower once a year, you can reduce emissions by up to 50 percent, which certainly will help keep the air cleaner. A tune-up also will help your mower start easier, run more smoothly and will even save gasoline. Check our easy instructions on how to do a tune-up.

Mowing Correctly - When mowing, follow the one-third rule. This means you should cut off only one-third of the grass leaf blade during any single mowing. This ensures that the grass can properly fill in open areas and form a dense canopy, preventing adequate light from reaching the soil surface where the weeds are waiting to germinate. Always mow with a sharp blade to cut the grass evenly and promote quick healing. Grass injured by a dull blade is more susceptible to pests and disease.

Watering - Watering provides a healthy plant with a sufficient root and leaf system better able to cope with insect and disease problems - even grubs. Water early in the day in the summer when humidity levels are high. Grass needs about 1 inch of water per week during the summer (either through rainfall or irrigation), preferably in two or three intervals.

Cultivating - Also known as aerating, most yards need to be cultivated once a year to help reduce soil compaction and thatch build-up. Rent a core cultivation machine that removes plugs of soil and run it over the yard a few times in early spring or fall. This will help loosen the soil and allow sun, air and nutrients to penetrate the ground. Cultivating is especially helpful for yards with compacted soil due to new construction or high clay content.

"Ground Breakers" (Tips for Intermediates)

The next step with an organic yard care approach requires a little more effort because it requires applying natural products to feed the soil and control weed and insect pests. Keep in mind these products are not well-suited for areas where quick grass growth is necessary, such as newly seeded areas or sections of lawn that are recovering from heavy use. Their slow-release characteristics struggle with providing the necessary amount of nitrogen to the plant in this condition. However, if the products are used diligently the results are quite positive.

Fertilizing - The first and easiest step to take is to leave grass clippings on the lawn when you mow. A good mulching mower can make this effortless. Doing so will return up to 2 lbs. of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet annually to the yard (not bad considering 3 to 5 lbs. of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet is the normal recommendation).

There are dozens of organic fertilizers on the market, but two to consider are Milorganite and Clean Green. Milorganite is a treated sewage by-product that has been used on thousands of golf courses and sports fields for more than 50 years. Clean Green is a relatively new product made from ground soybeans and contains only nitrogen in its formulation. (Many other organic fertilizers contain phosphorous and/or potassium components, which may or may not be warranted.)

Weed control - One of the best products available is corn gluten meal, which contains some nitrogen, but also acts as a pre-emergence herbicide for annual grasses, particularly crabgrass. It is an excellent product for well-established yards. It will not kill existing weeds but rather keeps new weeds from germinating. Just like any pre-emergence herbicide, it is best applied in spring with a rotary spreader and can be purchased at many home and garden centers.

Insect control - Although organic means for controlling insects are somewhat limited, Midwest yards that have been attacked by the Japanese beetle may find relief with a Milky spore inoculation. This obnoxious pest chews turf roots to shreds as a grub and attacks certain tree (Linden) species as an adult. Because it was inadvertently introduced into the United States, the Japanese beetle has no natural predators in this country.

Milky spore, which comes from the bacteria Bacillus popilliae, will slowly invade the grub and effectively reduce populations over time. If applied during the growing season expect to see a decline in grub populations next year, with the best results in a three- to five-year window. (The slow, gradual control is more reflective of an organic approach.) This product is available at many lawn and garden centers and can be applied through a spreader, just like fertilizer.

"Green Machines" (Tips for the Advanced)

For the more adventurous, several compost applications can bring multiple benefits to a lawn. Compost is usually spread by hand so it requires a little muscle and a lot of time.

Composting - Research has shown that regular compost applications provide microorganisms that help combat turfgrass diseases while providing rich nutrients needed by the grass and soil. Use well-aged compost rather than fresh compost, which can harm some grasses. Composting is best reserved for yards that do not receive intense traffic - otherwise the organic matter may break down rapidly, compact the soil and cause water drainage problems.

Another composting option is to apply ground tree leaves and apply them to the yard. Leaves act as an excellent compost by providing nutrients and beneficial microorganisms. Maple tree leaves in particular seem to help prevent weeds, especially dandelions. Research has shown that composting maple leaves into grass in the fall reduced the following year's dandelion populations by more than 75 percent. For best results, spread the leaves around the yard and mow over them with a mulching mower. There are also special leaf mulching blades that can be attached in place of the regular mowing blade.

Keep in mind that many of these suggestions will not yield immediate results. As in nature, changes will come gradually. Whether one takes on more of a "seedling" or "green machine" organic approach, following any of these techniques is a positive step for both the lawn and the environment.