Organic backyard care for the lawn or
gardens -- vegetable or flowers and shrubs -- gets easier by the day. With
a lot of creative experimentation, gardeners and nature lovers have created
easy ways to add organic nutrients to soil, conserve water and prevent pests
-- both insect and plant.
Here are a few tips on how to "think organic" in common lawn care planning
and upkeep.
Eco-Tip
Organic Backyard Care -- Plants
Tips of things you can do at home and at play to prevent ecological
problems...and save your ecosystem.
The United States is losing an average of 1" of topsoil every year. That
doesn't sound catastrophic -- but let's put it into perspective. We only
have a few inches of topsoil...and all life depends on it.
Topsoil ensures nutritious food for our tables, encourages lush growth so
that insects and diseases are controlled, and increases harvests naturally,
so that chemicals such as fertilizers and insecticides can be minimized...and
thus kept out of our groundwater.
And plants clean our air and groundwater. It's easy to take food, air and
water for granted, but they are rather important to our quality of life.
For more depth about soil conservation, check out these fascinating
online resources:
Bacteria are suddenly all the rage! We now know that bacteria are
everywhere...and we are learning more every day about how "good" and "bad"
bacteria work together in the balance of nature. Your garden and lawn are
also hives of bacterial activity.
There are many ways you can improve the condition of your soil and backyard
landscape that are safe and beneficial to the environment...and your family
and friends.
You can use compost as a mulch and work it into the soil to improve humus
in the soil.
You can remove excess thatch to provide adequate air circulation.
And when you encourage insect eating birds to visit and live in your yard
you not only have the pleasure of their company, but they eat hundreds of
insects daily.
By combining the mowing of grassy areas higher during summer months with
proper watering, you will improve the strength of the grass and cover plants.
Healthy plants, in turn, will improve soil structure.
The accumulation of organic residue between the soil and the green leaves
of grass is referred to as thatch. Excess thatch reduces the ability of water
to get to the root zone and creates shallow rooted turf. It also encourages
disease and insect attacks and can make mowing difficult.
Contrary to rumor, if lawns are mowed properly, grass clippings will not
promote thatch accumulation. The benefits of returning the clippings to the
lawn far exceed the problems of thatch accumulation created by clippings.
It is actually excess fertilization with nitrogen that promotes thatch
accumulation. If you lawn has more than one-half inch of thatch remove it
in early spring by dethatching in two or more directions.
Excessive use of fertilizer not only weakens your lawn plants, but it also
seeps into our groundwater supply...and that causes contaminated water supplies,
rivers, streams, lakes...and oceans.
Why is proper watering important to maintaining a healthy lawn?
You can reduce stress to your grass and shrubs by using the proper amount
of water, timing and how long you water. Proper watering will developing
deep, strong roots to get through periods of drought, promote resistance
to insect infestations, prevent disease and weed development.
Healthy soil needs less watering. It is important to know what type of soil
you have so that you can add the necessary amendments to hold the water needed
by the plant roots.
Organic material holds more moisture for two to three times longer than soil
with little or no organic matter. The greater the ability of the soil to
store water, the longer the grass can go without rain or watering.
Inspect the roots of your grass by digging up a plug or small section with
a spade. If the root system of the grass goes down only about two inches,
you'll know that the grass is always going to need watering when the soil
just begins to dry out a little bit. Also check for thatch. Thatch buildup
can prevent water from getting to the soil so remove it if it is more than
one-half inch thick. If grass is grown in poor soil and watered incorrectly,
the grass will have stunted roots, 2 to 3 inches deep instead of the desired
4-6 inches. This in turn stresses the lawn making it susceptible to weeds,
insects and disease.
What kind of fertilizer should I use?
Your lawn will have the best overall health and vigor if it's given a complete
fertilizer (containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium). These nutrients
can be found in natural materials, as well as chemical fertilizers.
Natural organic fertilizers are materials derived from living things and
rocks. These materials break down slowly in the soil to release nutrients
in a form that plants can use. Microorganisms in the soil convert these compounds
into soluable forms that roots can absorb.
Nitrogen sources include bloodmeal, dried blood, cottonseed meal, fish meal
and soybean meal as well as others.
Phosphorus sources include colloidal phosphate and rock phosphate.
Potassium sources include granite dust, granite meal, green sand, kelp meal
and wood ash. For trace elements such as Boronuse borax, for calcium use
eggshells, calcitic limestone, dolomiticlimestone or gypsum, for magnesium
use dolomitic limestone or Epsom salts.
Many organic fertilizers are now available in pre-blended formulas in granular
or powdered form. Be wary of a fertilizer labeled organic that has an N-P-K
ratio adding up to more than 15. This is an indicator that it may not indeed
be made of organic materials -- so read labels carefully. Know what you put
on your play areas!
How do I read a fertilizer label?
The label on fertilizer bags lists the percentages of the three primary nutrients
(nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium) as a series of three numbers called
the fertilizer grade. For example, if the label has 23-3-6 on the label,
the fertilizer contains 23 percent nitrogen, 3 percent phosphorous and 6 percent potassium.
What if I apply too much fertilizer?
Too much nitrogen can burn your grass. That's why it is best to apply moderate
amounts of fertilizer on a regular basis rather than large amounts infrequently.
For quickly available forms of nitrogen, no more than one pound of nitrogen
per 1000 square feet should be applied in a single application. Once you've
applied the fertilizer, there's no turning back. All you can do is stop
fertilizing immediately. Rain and watering will carry away the excess over
time.
But...where is it carried? It is important to decide whether a perfect lawn
is worth polluted water supplies in your neighborhood and community. Prudent
choice of fertilizers and other chemicals, as well as the amount of any chemicals
you put on your yard will prevent a number of problems.
Is there a 'home brew' recipe for fertilizer?
The 'recipes' of Jerry Baker, well known for his lawn and garden advice,have
been seen on television, videotapes and has published books. He recommends
in his "Garden Magic" series to add a milk carton size box of epsom salts
(which is magnesium sulfate) to a bag of ordinary 29-3-4 fertilizer (the
size that covers 2,500 square feet).
As a soil conditioner for low pH soils which are more likely to be deficient
in magnesium, epsom saltswill help hold nutrients in the soil and supply
the needed magnesium. Mix the epsom salts together in the bag of fertilizer
and apply before Noon with a broadcast-type spreader at HALF the recommended
rate on the bag instructions.
Recycle Your
Yard Waste
Did you know you can turn your yard waste into rich garden soil? Simply make
a compost heap in your own backyard.
You'll need:
* a sturdy container
* compost starter mix
* a metal pipe
* a garden fork
First, collect some yard waste and put it in the container. Stack the clippings
and add the compost starter, according to the directions on the package.
Water the mixture until the pile is moist, but not soggy.
Then, put a metal pipe in the middle of the bin. This will let you see if
you're actually composting. The pipe will get hot to the touch in a few days.
Turn the compost about once a week with the garden fork. You'll know the
compost is ready to be used as soil when it is a deep brown and crumbles
easily in your hand.
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