Alternative Lawn Care

Our world was not designed to be a monoculture. Our world is meant to be diverse. Every bug and blade of green plant is interconnected to you and your health. When you eliminate one, you automatically eliminate another and everything goes out of whack. By diversifying your lawn you improve the health of your own backyard, your neighborhood and the community at large.

Growing a healthy lawn is a question of following a few basic steps that don't require a lot of time or money:

Fertilizing: The type of fertilizer you use and the timing of the application are important. Compost or slow-release fertilizers are preferable, and fertilizing in early fall promotes vigorous lawn growth the next spring. Clippings left on the lawn are rich in nitrogen and provide easy and free fertilization.

Liming: Lime is applied when soil is too acidic (low pH) for good lawn growth; you can have the pH of your soil tested if you think this might be a problem.

Aeration: Compacted soil makes it difficult for water and oxygen to get to the roots. Aeration of the lawn is best done before top dressing and fertilizing.

Top dressing and over-seeding: Late summer or early fall, top dress your lawn with a thin layer of compost or good garden soil, and add grass seed appropriate to your site conditions. This will regenerate your lawn and take care of any thinned-out areas.

Mowing: Rather than giving your lawn a close shave, mow it to a height of 7-8 cm, this will promote better root growth and competition with weeds. Keep your mower blade sharp and mow often enough that you don't take off more than one third of the growth.

Irrigation: Give your lawn a deep watering, less often. Early morning or early evening are the best times to water, to minimize evaporation. It will also help prevent disease if the grass doesn't stay wet overnight

Variety: Plant a variety of grasses that can tolerate a range of growing conditions, such as sun and shade. Your lawn will then be less susceptible to pest damage.

Substitutes: Where conditions are not suitable for a traditional lawn, try growing plants more adapted to the area. For example, periwinkle and lily of the valley are good ground covers for shaded sites, while creeping juniper and wild thyme are better for sunny dry sites. A variety of plants and grasses promotes biodiversity in your yard.

Helpers: Birds, beneficial insects, earthworms and many other creatures feed on lawn pests, help break down thatch and aerate the soil. More of these useful organisms are likely to thrive in your lawn if you reduce your use of insecticides and fungicides.

Pest Management

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) stresses pest prevention as its first principle. Manage pest problems by following IPM principles:

• Good soil, with ample depth and organic matter, and improved drainage in wet areas will help prevent problems.

• Regular inspections will give you early warning of potential problems.

• Be sure you correctly identify a pest or problem since beneficial insects may be mistaken for pests. Identifying the pest will help you decide if and when you need to apply a treatment.

• Accept that a few weeds or insect pests won't noticeably harm a healthy lawn. Don't be alarmed at the first sign of a pest. It is not necessarily a threat to your lawn.

• Attacking pest problems from several fronts is often more effective. For example, if chinch bugs are a problem, you can de-thatch the lawn, keep it well watered, increase the mowing height, keep nitrogen fertilization to a minimum, and over-seed with grass varieties that are resistant to chinch bugs. Such a combination of tactics will make it difficult for this pest to thrive.