Up-to-Date Tips and Techniques in Natural Lawn Care

Try these new techniques in natural lawn care to maximize output and minimize effort:

-Ask local gardening grocers about the sturdiest grass varieties available. You wouldn’t want to be bogged down by natural lawn care methods that are too time-consuming, especially if you’re doing the lawn maintenance yourself.

-Choose grass varieties that are more resistant to insects and pests and those that have stronger roots.

-Remember to water the grass regularly and drench instead of sprinkle, making sure that it gets at least an inch of water per week. Natural lawn care calls for regular watering – do not give more than an inch of water to compensate for missed watering, as this will not be utilized by the grass. Sprinkling is not recommended for natural lawn care because this develops shallow roots in grass which are more prone to browning.

-Using corn gluten meal for natural lawn care takes about 3 years for it to produce significant effects. Thus, it can leave a few weeds behind. On an average lawn, using corn gluten meal for your natural lawn care will set you back between $40 and $60.

-For optimal natural lawn care results, use the longest setting for lawn mowers. Moreover, wait until your grass is about 3-4 inches high before mowing your lawn.

-Study the recommended timing for every aspect of natural lawn care. For instance, apply pre-emergent herbicides during seasons when the soil temperature ranges from 55-58 degrees Fahrenheit. Otherwise, it will not produce any beneficial effects. When you apply nutrients at the wrong seasons, you will only end up reworking it later on.

- Products that are being developed for natural lawn care are being thoroughly tested in labs and it usually takes a long time for them to be made available in the natural lawn care market. Despite this, they are still more dependable in producing better-looking lawns.

-Even the pace you employ while using your spreader affects the effectiveness of the chemicals used in natural lawn care. If the pace is slow, the products will not be distributed sparingly so you’ll need to purchase more to cover the lawn area. Similarly, a very thin application will not yield good results.

-Aim for approximately 2-3.5 pounds of chemicals for every 1000 square feet of lawn.

-Remember to wash your spreader in your yard so as not to put any material to waste. In addition, if the natural lawn care products accidentally spill onto your driveway, just seep them back onto the yard.

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Learn How to Make Your Own Natural Lawn Care Treatments

What Are The Benefits?

Although there are plenty of benefits to natural lawn care, many people do not make the switch because they believe it to be too expensive.  In many cases, you will find natural products are less expensive than others.  When purchasing them, be sure that you know what types of products to purchase in the first place.  Placing too much on your lawn can cause damage to the lawn overall.  More so, it can cause the lawn to be in a poor state for a long time coming, even though the products are natural.

Select A Good Company

From the start, it is very important for you to consider the right company producing the natural lawn care products you want to use.  Many companies are not providing true natural products and misleading you.  When products are labeled as natural, they need to provide nothing but natural ingredients to you.  If you see that the ingredient list contains many chemicals, then you are likely not purchasing a natural product.  Unfortunately, it can be hard to know what is in them.  Look at labels and know what is in the product.  In addition, purchase from companies that you learn to know and trust.

What is Really Helpful

While in some cases companies are being deceitful, in most they simply do not realize just how poor in quality their product is.  The company may not know that the products do not provide full natural lawn care elements in them.  Checking the labels will help you to rule out any mistakes yourself.  If you see that an ingredient is one that is not natural, put it down and look for another.   Also, purchase products that are going to add to your specific lawn by knowing what your lawn needs.  To accomplish this, take the time to talk with a professional landscaper to get their opinion of the quality.

If you take the time to select the right products for your lawn, you will find that natural lawn care products can offer plenty of benefits.  Purchase them correctly and you will find that they can save you money in lawn care, too.

Andrew Caxton enjoys writing about landscaping for http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com You can find more information and resources on synthetic turf at his website.

Learn How to Make Your Own Natural Lawn Care Treatments

A natural lawn doesn’t rely on fertilizers and pesticides to look great.  Instead, natural and organic pesticides  are used as substitutes.  At first it may seem too difficult to make the switch, and it may take some extra time for initial implementation, but making the change will be well worth it in the end.

One of the best ways to start is to select a turf that works well in your local environment.  Research the local climate, the watering and fertilizing needs of the grass you are considering, and how often you will have to mow the lawn.  Different grass types have different needs.  Some grass types turn brown very quickly unless you take care of them and provide plenty of water, while others have the ability to last long periods of time in high heat without much water.

Balancing the pH of your lawn is also very important in natural lawn care.  Natural lawns can fall under one of three categories: acidic, alkaline, or balanced.  Acidic soil has a pH between 0 and 6.9.  An alkaline soil has a pH between 7.1 and 14.  A balanced pH is around 7.  The easiest way to test the pH balance of your soil is to buy a home soil testing kit from a local garden store. They don’t cost very much, about $20 or $40, and work quite well.  Or if you prefer, you can hire a landscaper to test the soil.

To balance out acidic soil, slowly add lime or wood ashes over time.  For alkaline soil, add sulfur, iron sulfate, or pine needles.  But make sure you only add these materials in small amounts over a long period of time.  You may actually damage the soil if you add too much all at once, and ruin the growing season.  If you are switching from a pesticide lawn to a natural lawn, realize that it may take a few years for the pH to balance out.

Lawn aeration and dethatching is also something you should consider when cultivating a natural lawn.  You have to take care of the turf as well as the grass to ensure a healthy lawn.  Over time all the mowing, walking, fertilizing, and watering causes the soil underneath the grass to become compacted. Compacted soil doesn’t allow enough aeration.  Compacted soil doesn’t absorb enough water or fertilizer, which can cause your it to deteriorate.  One method of dealing with this is to buy a pair of aerating shoes and walk across the lawn to unclog holes.  You can also purchase vertical mowers to do this job.

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Understanding the Benefits of Natural Products

One of the main reasons why many people do not switch to lawn care products, is because they feel that it would be too expensive to do so. However, it is not always more expensive to purchase natural lawn care products and in some circumstances it can actually be cheaper.

Before you purchase any natural products, you need to first know exactly what it is that you need. If you purchase the wrong type of products for your lawn, even if they are natural they can still have a damaging effect! It might be worthwhile hiring a landscaper to come and look at the lawn. That way you will get professional advice on what is needed and the state of your soil.

When it comes to actually purchasing natural lawn care products, you do need to be choosy with the company you use. There are unfortunately many companies that are designed to make money from offering you fake products. They advertise them as natural because they feel they can get more money for the products, when in fact they actually contain quite a lot of chemicals. In order to be sure that the company which you are purchasing your products from is selling true natural products, you can always read the labels on the product to check for hidden chemicals.

However, it is not always the actual company that you are purchasing the product from that is trying to fool you. Sometimes they have no idea themselves that the products are not completely natural.

Overall before purchasing any natural lawn care products, you should ideally check the labels and ensure that you know what you are purchasing. Also make sure that you are purchasing the right products for your lawn and if possible hire a landscaper to do a check over for you. That way you will know for certain that the products you are using are good for your lawn. Natural products really help to bring out the best in any lawn and if you buy them in bulk then you could actually save a lot of money.

Andrew Caxton loves writing for http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com . For additional information on lawn care http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com/lawn-mower-blades.html lawnmower blades subjects have a look at his web.

1. Remember, you want to help your lawn fend off pests and weeds naturally, so your first step is determining the pH level of your soil. Soil testing kits are relatively inexpensive and will give you a good idea of the acidity or alkalinity of the earth in your area. You may need to add lime or sulphur depending on the results, and these can be purchased at garden and home improvement stores for very little money.

2. Once you’ve got your soil test results, add organic fertilizer (the amount will be determined by the soil test) and cover with about an inch of organic compost. This supplies the necessary nutrients your lawn needs to thrive – and the more you can boost its natural immunity to invaders, the healthier and greener it will get. Once you’ve added the organic compost, rake the area over to allow the new soil to settle and the water to drain easily.

3. When choosing a lawn grass, get the most resilient kind you can for your particular area. Check with lawn and garden stores and nurseries about what grows well where you live. For best results, grow native grasses or choose natural groundcovers that tend to grow quickly and spread easily.

4. Be mindful of weeds and pests that try to invade your lawn. Ask a local landscape or garden center about insects or birds that eat these types of pests, and what you can do to encourage them to stay. Even so-called “organic” pesticides can contain harmful chemicals – so the more naturally resistant you can make your lawn – the greater it will look.

5. Water your new lawn every day when you first sow the seeds or plugs. Make sure that the ground is saturated, but not to the point that you get runoff or puddles. Watering in the early evening, especially in the summer, will help prevent your lawn from getting scorched by the sun and still allows the grass to dry by nightfall.

6. You can start mowing your fresh new lawn when the grass reaches about three inches tall. Adjust your lawnmower so that you cut off no more than the top third of the blades each time you mow. How often you’ll need to mow depends on the type of grass you choose. Consult a landscaper or garden specialty store for more information.

7. Finally, be sure to add a new layer of organic compost to your lawn every spring. This will help replenish the natural nutrients it needs to ward off pests and look its best!

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Secret 1 – The Container

To create organic compost you don’t have to have a container but it does make it much easier.

A good size compost pile should be between 4 – 6 feet. To put this into perspective you could use 4 shipping pallets nailed together. You can also buy compost bins at your garden store or get plans that show you how to build one.  You should have a cover to keep the rain off and the heat
in. You will need ventilation as air needs to reach the contents.

Secret 2 – The Contents

You can put just about anything that comes from organic matter into your compost pile. The thing you need to watch out for is the smell.

If your pile is away from the house and you won’t smell it then you can put horse manure, cat and dog droppings and leftovers from the dinner table. But be cautious as this will also draw rats.

The ideal compost is a mixture of grass and sticks. Grass piled by itself will smell quite a bit but mixed with sticks will allow ventilation and not have that smell. If at all possible shred the sticks and larger wood as it takes much less time for the compost to decay with smaller pieces.

Egg shells and other kitchen scraps will leave your compost looking a bit funny (little white shells all through out) so another option for creating excellent organic matter from those is a wormery. I will talk about worm farming in another article.

Secret 3 – Starting and Maintaining your Compost Pile

Winter has now passed and you are coming into spring when the sun is shining and everybody wants to start working in their yard. You pull weeds, trim the bushes and now you have to mow the yard twice as much. All this leads to the beginning of this years compost pile.

Start your compost pile by putting sticks in the bottom so that you have ventilation. next you can put in your grass clippings and weeds. If you have a large lawn you may want to throw a little bit of woody material in between the loads of grass clippings.

From the kitchen you can add potato peels and other vegetable leftovers but be sure that they are not too wet. Too much water in the pile will slow the process.

What will happen now is your compost pile will get hot as the contents begins to decay. It will then cool. At that point you will want to turn the contents.Having a second bin or a compost barrel that turns makes this much easier.

Otherwise, you will need to pull the contents out of your bin and mix it thoroughly. If it is totally dry use a watering can and sprinkle a little water in as you are mixing the contents.

Your compost pile should stay warm. What I mean is that the decaying process causes heat. Periodically take a stake or cane and run it down into the pile and let it sit for five
minutes. When you pull it out it should be warm. If it is cold you will want to turn your pile again and sprinkle with more water.

Organisms are decaying the matter. You can accelerate this by purchasing compost accelerators at your local garden shop. All these accelerators contain more organisms to help quickly decay the compost.

Secret 4 – How it Works

The whole compost process is done with bacteria. Organisms that decay the pile. There are basically two kinds of bacteria that you could have in your compost pile areobic and anareobic. Areobic bacteria like the warmth and air they are a dryer bacteria. They like it moist but not wet.
Anareobic are the bacteria like you would find at the bottom of a pond. They like it wet and dark.

I’m sure you have already figured out that we want the areobic bacteria in our compost and not the anareobic. This is the reason we do not want our compost to get too wet. You do want it moist but not wet.

These bacteria will eat away at your compost pile which is why it is hot and you may even see steam coming from the pile and this is good. But after all the yummy food is gone the bacteria will take a nap. This is when you need to turn the pile. And if the pile has become too dry sprinkle some water to make it moist. If you cannot get the heat then you will need to use accelerator.

But if you have ever raked grass clippings that are moist from the morning dew into a pile and let it set it gets really hot. So if you use grass clippings in your mix you know you will get a good start.

This is basically how it works. And depending on your garden and lawn size you may do several compost piles a year or only one.

If you apply these 4 secrets then organic garden compost will be a breeze.

Glen Barnhardt is the Worlds #1 Organic Gardening Consultant

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Natural Fertilizers: Better Tasting Produce?
Though there is no scientific evidence that the use of organic fertilizers would produce better tasting produce, most organic gardeners would beg to differ.  One might agree that with the notion that we are ingesting too many chemicals from our foods, limited use of chemical fertilizers may produce better tasting and higher quality produce.  The use of organic compost as a replacement for chemical fertilizers is one of the more common way to fertilizer your crop.  Other alternatives include the use of teas derived from plants, such as compost tea.  The use of organic matter also replenishes the soil by increasing the organic content.

Rid Your Garden of Pest Naturally
Organic gardeners use of natural pesticides stems from concerns over pesticide residues on food, groundwater and in the soil.  Many reports have linked a large number of health problems to exposure to pesticides, which has many consumers and producers moving toward organically grown produce.

So how does one combat garden pest naturally? First and foremost is healthy organic soil, which produces healthy plants that can fight garden pest on their own.

Other organic pest control products rely on extracts from plants, such as oranges and lemons.  D-Limonene, which is the active ingredient in citrus oils, kills many flying and crawling insects on contact.  Destroying the insect’s respiratory systems, an insect basically suffocates.

Another all purpose organic pesticide is made from the Neem tree.  Neem oil which is produced by pressing the oil from the neem seed, does not directly kill feeding pests, rather it discourages insects from feeding on the plants that are coated, in essence starving the pests to death.  Neem oil can be used on vegetables, flowers and ornamentals.  Another beneficial aspect of using Neem Oil is that it is non-toxic to birds, mammals, ladybugs, spiders and bees.

As you can see there are many options for the organic gardeners to both grow and protect their produce without the use of man-made chemicals.  There are many organic compounds occurring in nature that are effective natural repellants to pests and others that are beneficial to growing an organic garden.

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Organic Fertilizers

Fertilizers labeled “organic” are derived from materials that are essentially carbon in nature. These materials that constitute organic fertilizers are derived from either animal or plant by-products.

Using organic fertilizers has advantages and downfalls. One distinct benefit of organic fertilizers is that they naturally contain matter that is beneficial to both plants and soil. The natural materials found in organic fertilizers help improve the water-holding capacity of the soil, and augments its structure to increase its nutrient-holding capacity.  Additionally, the organic materials encourage microbial activity. This plays a big part in the breakdown of nutrients, which allows the plants to absorb the nutrients.

Organic fertilizers tend to break down and release nutrients more slowly, so that leaching is prevented. By using organic fertilizers, you can rest assured that groundwater will not be contaminated by any harmful substances. Organic fertilizers are generally less expensive than inorganic alternatives, and may be available free of charge if you know how and where to look.

There are disadvantages to using organic fertilizers. These materials may be difficult to apply in comparison to inorganic fertilizers, depending on the source material used. Organic fertilizers tend to have lower nutrient content compared to inorganic fertilizers, so more material has to be applied in order to get the same nutrient amount. In addition, the slow-release properties can actually have a detrimental effect on the plants. If the nutrients from organic fertilizers are not released in time, the plants will not receive them for use in their growth cycle.

Inorganic Fertilizers

Inorganic fertilizers are widely available in today’s market. There are so many different varieties; it can be hard to choose the best one.  To make a wise, informed choice, you must first understand the components of typical inorganic fertilizers.

Every bag of inorganic fertilizer is generally labeled with a set of three numbers. These numbers represent the ratio of Nitrogen Phosphorus - Potassium. For example, if you choose an inorganic fertilizer that is labeled 7-3-2, it means that there is seven percent Nitrogen, three percent Phosphorus, and two percent Potassium.

When you add these numbers, the sum is just twelve percent worth of nutrients in the bag. The remaining 88 percent of made up of filler material and may contain additional nutrients. These extra materials are added help the user to apply the fertilizer more evenly.

When it is time to choose a fertilizer for your lawn or garden – organic or inorganic – know what is in the bag, and more importantly, what is best for your property.

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Organic Fertilizers should be added in Early Autumn
When adding high nitrogen based organic fertilizers it is recommended to wait until after a heavy rain, spread while ground is wet and water in heavily to avoid burning the grass.
Coring and dethatching is also recommended prior to adding any organic fertilizer. This will allow nutrients to enter the soil more readily and allows air to circulate.

Lawns require ample water supply of water during summer months. This maintains the growth & health of the lawn and also prevents soil compaction and cracking.

Water restrictions have limited the amount of water we can apply to our lawns in many parts of the world. One option is to use a low phosphate detergent when washing your clothes and redirect this waste water over the lawn.

Grey water can be stored in a tank or directed strait onto the lawn.

When using organic lawn care practices:

Raise the height of your mowers blades.
Be prepared to have a few flat weeds or remove them by hand if required
Occasionally leave your clippings on the lawn (Don’t use a catcher) I don’t recommend using this method ALL the time as it can cause heavy matting and slow water filtration through the soil.

Eric J. Smith is an Organic Gardener and passionate Environmentalist. He is dedicated to promoting the need for an Organic, Natural World. Find out more on Organic Personal Care Products here – http://www.milifestyle.net .

A weed-free lawn with luxuriant greens is a winning factor for the lawn owner as well as for his neighbors. This is possible with the introduction of organic lawn care.

Today, you have to be thankful for the discovery of organic lawn care for your yard. For one, it is environment-friendly and therefore safe for human use. Many benefits can be derived with the application of organic lawn care through several implementing guidelines.

Organic Lawn Care: What Do We Get From It?

The benefits from organic lawn care can be succinctly summed up into two phrases - environmental protection and human safety.

Time and again, it has been proven that for an action done, there is a corresponding “payback”. Nature works with this cause-and-effect concept. With the advancement in technology, lawn products promising a faster growth rate for your lawn have come out in the market.

There are also chemical-based herbicides for weed control. These products, however, are not environment-friendly and hence, not safe for humans. They may be able to seep into the water supply and cause massive damage to plant and animal life. It is for this reason that organic lawn care has emerged to provide a balance in our ecosystem.

Individuals have their roles to play in preserving the environment, and at the same time look after the welfare of their loved ones as well as their pets. Inorganic lawn products are made of harsh, toxic chemicals which are harmful to nature and humans as well. They may cause extensive damage when swallowed, inhaled, or even touched.

Organic Lawn Care: Implementing Guidelines

The prescribed height of grass to be mowed is an important factor in organic lawn care. Isn’t a thick lawn what everybody desires? To achieve this, the cutting level of the lawn mower’s blades should be adjusted to the highest setting.

Following the above will enable the grass to grow quickly because most of the surface is exposed to the sun. This makes photosynthesis, or the processing of plant food, easy. The grass blades and roots that are eventually produced are stronger, having been able to absorb nutrients from the soil.

Organic lawn care suggests the use of sharp lawn mower blades. Dull blades damage the grass rather than cut it. They tend to make the grass vulnerable to disease and may also contribute to water loss.

When mowing the lawn, organic lawn care suggests that residuals are left on the lawn where they will decompose naturally and where nutrients such as nitrogen will be absorbed by the soil. In fact, this nitrogen in the cut grass makes up about half of the annual nitrogen requirements of lawns.

In addition, grass residuals left in the lawn encourage earthworm movements underground. They benefit lawn care by ventilating the soil for improved water absorption.

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