{"id":5416,"date":"2013-05-27T09:30:38","date_gmt":"2013-05-27T13:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/?p=5416"},"modified":"2021-01-05T08:51:07","modified_gmt":"2021-01-05T13:51:07","slug":"organic-lawn-care-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/2013\/05\/organic-lawn-care-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Organic Lawn Care Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last year’s dry summer spelled trouble for our lawns here in Vermont, especially in our very dry sandy area. Sam Kineson is often quoted when discussing our general area, you know the one..<\/p>\n

Come here, you see this? This is sand. You know what it’s gonna be 100 years from now? IT’S GONNA BE SAND!! (Sam Kineson)<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

My takeaway, as my lawn fell prey to moles, crows and other pests was to not antagonize a stressed lawn with aerating, excessive mowing, watering or other habitual practices. When lawns get stressed they are susceptible to weeds, diseases, and other pest out breaks.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t stress, it isn’t a personal blight on you only<\/span><\/h3>\n

A dry, burned out lawn will come back with adequate rainfall. Dead spots can be repaired and seasons come and go. Don\u2019t sweat it, it\u2019s only grass, besides, your neighbors are mostly likely suffering the same as you ~ except for that one guy, you want to be him.<\/p>\n

The question is how to grow a lawn that makes your neighbors envious of your lush green turf.<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here are a few tips to keep you focused on maintaining a healthy lawn:<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

MOW HIGH<\/strong>– Mowing the grass short weakens the plant, harms the growth crown leaving room for weeds growth. Mow as high to maintain moisture making the plant stronger and able to survive periods of drought, disease conditions, and other stresses. Keeping a longer lawn (3 1\/2″) for maximum photosynthesis and grass growth will smother and overcrowd weeds.<\/p>\n

WATER LESS<\/strong> – Lawns should be watered deeply and infrequently, you want deep root growth. Over-watering causes roots to stop growing deeper as they don’t need to search of water. Shallow roots become lazy, staying close to the surface where the water is. Make your lawn “tough like bull,” and strength train to build an extensive root system. You need that to fight off weed infestations, pest attacks and quicker recovery from other stress.<\/p>\n

Speaking of Bull… You might not have access to manure but you can use:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

COMPOST<\/strong> – <\/b>We want you to be on an organic lawn care program, but even if you aren’t, top dressing with compost helps. Adding compost builds and enriches the soil, you want to feed the grass naturally. A healthy soil creates the nutrients that grow grass naturally, making conventional fertilizing obsolete. Rich soil is happy, this is the key to growing a healthy lawn and composting is the best way to get there.<\/p>\n

Don’t Stress ~ <\/strong>Don’t Over Water<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Don’t Use Chemical Shortcuts<\/strong> <\/span><\/h2>\n

“My local hardware store has a great sale on lawn care systems with pelleted delivery that makes life easy.” said my neighbor, who’s lawn looks like the Sahara desert, what went wrong<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Chemicals kill indiscriminately, (and smell horrible too) both the good and the bad are wiped out and your soil becomes kinda dead, not able to nourish your lawn naturally. This creates a situation where you need to continue using more and more chemicals to feed the grass making it green..<\/p>\n

Who benefits from this situation?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Loser:<\/span><\/strong> You and your lawn care budget, as you spend time, energy, and money.. Your green is gone… both turf and pocket cash<\/h3>\n

Winner:<\/span><\/strong> Your local hardware store as you constantly return for this and that chemical to correct all the situations their brand promises to correct.<\/h3>\n
\"Hughesey's<\/a>

Hughesey’s Lawncare Tips<\/p><\/div>\n

If the need for removing weeds is still there you have many options and methods for removal: <\/b><\/p>\n