Lawns are the wide-open spaces where children and pets play, especially in the summer. It is important to have a well- maintained and safe lawn with no chemical residues that may pose harm to your children and pets.
According to the US National Wildlife Federation, residential lawns and gardens consume over 70 million tons of fertilizer and pesticides every year.
Suburban lawns even use 10 times as much chemical pesticide per acre as farmland. Applying pesticides disrupt the natural fauna of the soil by killing 60-90% of the earthworms in the soil and that is bad news.
Alternatives to chemical pesticides are available. It won’t be enough to use organic fertilizers to keep your lawn lush and healthy. Go back to the basics of the best proper lawn care practices. Call us now 504-608-5550 and learn more about our lawn care practices.
Keeping Your Lawn Naturally Healthy
But just think of the comfort and joy your lawn can offer you when you come home after a stressful day at work and you are welcomed by the freshness and beauty of your perfectly trimmed lush green lawn.
You don’t have to spend on chemicals that will harm your soil in the long-run.
A natural or greener approach to lawn care is becoming more popular. You can grow the perfect lawn that is naturally resistant to weeds, insects, and diseases.
The Basics of the Best Natural Lawn Care Practices
Mind your Soil
The soil in your lawn is the lifeblood of your turf. Your lawn’s earth should have the optimum amount of nutrients and the perfect growing texture for your grass.
Even if organic fertilizers are readily available, it is best to have your soil tested.
The best way to get the most accurate results for a soil test is to have it tested professionally with Big Easy Landscaping.
They will send you specific information like:
- Soil type
- Nutrient levels
- Soil pH
- Suggestions for improving your soil
Too much nutrients are harmful for your turf and soil and a lack of the essential nutrients will not give you the lush green lawn.
There are organic amendments that you can add to your soil to adjust the soil pH to an optimum level.
Naturally Acidic Organic Materials to Adjust Alkaline Soil:
- Aged sawdust
- Wood chips
- Leaf mold
- Peat moss
- Cottonseed meal
- Pine needles
- Coffee Grounds
- Fresh manure
- Oak leaves
- Ground-up oak bark
Long-acting Organic Materials to Adjust Acid Soil:
- Bone Meal
- Ground clamshells
- Ground eggshells
- Ground oyster shells
- Hardwood ashes
- Fine-ground agricultural lime:
- Dolomitic lime (for magnesium-deficient soils)
- Calcitic lime (for calcium-deficient soils)
The Best Type of Soil for your Lawn
Having too much clay in the soil mix can compact the soil and prevent air and nutrient flow.
Compacted soil will need more aeration instead of the annual aeration recommended for a lawn.
Use Organic Fertilizer on Your Lawn for Nutrient Build-up
Adding organic fertilizer to your lawn will give you benefits that are far more lasting and permanent, for you, your turf, and the soil in your lawn.
Here are the main benefits of growing a perfect lawn with organic fertilizers:
- Add organic matter to the soils and increase nutrient exchange efficiently.
The microorganisms that have a key role in these processes love to consume organic fertilizer. So you’re feeding the workers in your soil that make sure it’s healthy. - Healthy soil will allow earthworms to thrive. You will save on aeration because earthworms are the most effective and natural way to improve aeration and drainage in your lawn. On top of that, their waste is full of nutrients that your grass will love.
- Organic fertilizer lasts a long time because organic matter breaks down longer. They remain in the soil for months even with watering or heavy rain.
- Their nutrients are released slowly so your grass gets everything it needs. Your turf will grow slowly and evenly so you can save on mowing too often.
- Do not contain harsh chemicals that can cause spills and cleanups and that harm your lawn when too much is applied.
Lawn Care Guide to Practical Sources of Organic Fertilizers
Here are secrets of the best lawn care practices to source organic fertilizers:
Keep your grass clippings.
Quit bagging or raking them! They contain valuable nitrogen and trace minerals that will beef-up your soil.
They are the most natural way to fertilize and mulch your lawn to keep the weeds at bay. Make sure you mow regularly so that your clippings are short so that they decompose quickly.
Use reel mowers that leave the grass on your lawn when you cut them.
Use your Kitchen and Garden Waste to Make Compost.
Compost is one of the best earth-friendly, nutrient-rich fertilizers on this planet.
Not to mention, it’s cost-efficient and rewarding for your kitchen and garden waste bins. Save them from the trash.
It has several benefits, including all of the ones mentioned earlier, that can never be provided by chemical pesticides.
For specific instructions on how to make compost, visit Compost Guide.
Organic Fertilizers You Can Buy
Choose from the 10 Best Organic Lawn fertilizers that are available in the market. The best pick for organic lawn fertilizer is The Andersons Innova Organic Fertilizer which is completely plant-derived that has the perfect nutrient ratios for long term lawn benefits. It is considered safe for kids, pets, and waterways.
Mind your Mowing
One of the most valuable secrets to lawn care is to follow these lawn care instructions on proper mowing:
- Raise your blades up. Turfgrass species are healthiest at a 2.5 and 3.5” height. Keep it at 2″ just before the winter season to prevent mold build-up. The secret is to never cut off more than one-third from the top of your grass. This will allow enough shade to keep your soil moist while preventing your turf to dry.
- Sharpen your blades. Dull blades will stress your grass and your lawn. It causes the tips of your grass to brown due to damage. Sharp blades cut clean and maintain healthy grass blades.
- Mow your lawn when it’s dry. Mowing your lawn when it’s wet will harm your mower and your turf. Mower blades get dull and grass blades turn brown at the tip.
Mind your Watering
The best watering techniques that allows the development of deep root systems include:
- Water deeply with 1 inch of water once a week. Do not over-water. The secret is to saturate the soil to a depth of six to nine inches.
- Water early in the morning before the day heats up to reduce evaporation. Watering at night encourages fungal growth.
Growing the Perfect Lawn
You wouldn’t want to expose your family, your pets, and the environment to toxic chemicals. Acquainting yourself with and practicing the very earth-friendly secrets to lawn care will give you the perfect lush green lawn where you can breathe fresh air and ease your stresses.
